Page 40 - 100 years of Anglo American

HOW
PLATINUM
POWER
WORKS

Unlike petrol and diesel,
hydrogen is fast emerging
as a clean alternative source
of fuel for power generation.
At Naledi Trust, it was on
trial for just over two years
in a system consisting of
Anglo American Platinum’s fuel cell installation at Naledi Trust supplied power to 34 homes in the three 5 kilowatts methanol
village, pictured in the background fuel cell systems integrated
with batteries.
The potential of THIS IS HOW IT WORKS:
The electrochemical
PLATINUM 1 the 14 000 litre steel
process starts in
tank containing a mixture
of methanol (also known as
methyl alcohol) and water;
The heated
An efficient, low-carbon trial project lit up a rural community methanol-water
after residents spent five years off the grid, writes Poloko Tau 2 mixture produces
hydrogen and carbon
dioxide;
he potholed road from Kroonstad to electrify communities. Anglo American Platinum’s head The gases are then
Maokeng township in the Free State gets of market development for precious metals Kleantha passed through a
worse each year. As you approach the Pillay said the system “offers an efficient, low-carbon 3 palladium membrane
Naledi Trust community of 34 homes on option when comparing it with supplying rural to separate the hydrogen
Tthe other side of the township, you see a communities with power from diesel generators”. from the carbon dioxide;
creaky windmill standing in a field, blades whirring. “Unlike other green alternatives such as wind power, The hydrogen is then
The pump it is connected to last worked years ago. these fuel cells can produce power whenever the channelled to the
Unemployed Mpho Kopele sits at home with his demand exists,” she said. 4 fuel cell stacks, where
laptop, listening to his House music – something he At Naledi Trust, Anglo American Platinum installed an electrochemical process,
couldn’t do before. His elderly neighbour, Leah a 14 000 litre tank that was filled with facilitated by platinum-
Mabitle, stands in her kitchen doorway methanol fuel every month, as well as three coated electrodes, produces
watching her grandchildren play. On the fuel cells and four steel containers direct current (DC)
other side of the village, the smell of housing a battery bank, converter and electricity, as well as water;
breakfast still hangs in the air outside an inverter control. These were This electricity is
pensioner Mohau Motingoe’s kitchen. connected to produce 15 kilowatts of then transferred into
In this community, life has gone from fuel cell-generated power – enough to 5 the two-room
“depressing” to “normal”, thanks to an supply the 34 households with container – one housing
initiative by Anglo American Platinum, electricity. The same system can supply batteries and the other
which uses platinum as a catalyst in peak power demands of 60 kilowatts with inverters, as well as control
methanol fuel cells to generate electricity. electricity stored in its batteries. and safety systems;
Before that, Naledi Trust “was nothing Mohau Motingoe Motingoe said: “After five years of living Here, the electricity
more than a forgotten and hopeless community”. in the dark, we have learnt to appreciate electricity is either stored in
Motingoe said they were taken off the grid for five and use it sparingly.” 6 batteries or fed to an
years in 2010 because they were unable to pay. Each household was given a few low-consumption inverter, where it is
“[It] was the worst time of our lives – especially for appliances, including a fridge, iron, kettle, two-plate converted to alternative
our children and the young people, who started stove and six compact fluorescent lights. current (AC) electricity,
spending most of their time loitering in the streets and Kopele said before he had to walk 5km to charge his which is suitable for
doing bad things because they were bored,” he said. phone and laptop. The trial period for the pilot project distribution to households
When Anglo American Platinum went looking for an came to an end in 2016, and Naledi Trust residents via a microgrid;
off-the-grid neighbourhood to pilot its fuel cell were switched back to Eskom’s grid. Batteries store the
technology, Naledi Trust was perfect. The technology Anglo American Platinum engineering consultant power, providing
was developed by Ballard Power Systems, which Anglo Clive Seymour said the trial exceeded their 7additional supply to
American Platinum invested in to develop markets for expectations: “When we started, we had no idea what the 15 kilowatts produced
platinum group metals. the demand pattern would be – we really by the three fuel cells,
This trial project, a world first, which ended in 2016 overestimated the demand. With the same equipment, during peak times.
proved how fuel cell technology could be used to we can provide 70 homes with power.”
40 ANGLO AMERICAN 100 YEARS