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| A 5-kilowatt fuel cell was installed at Palm Garden of Largo, a skilled-nursing facility on the west coast of Florida. |
Progress Energy Florida has installed a hydrogen fuel cell to provide backup electric power to a Pinellas County skilled-nursing facility.
A 5-kilowatt fuel cell was installed at Palm Garden of Largo, a skilled-nursing facility on the west coast of Florida. It will provide hallway and safety lighting for the facility if hurricanes or other emergencies interrupt power.
The joint project between Progress Energy and Plug Power will advance the technology further. A fuel cell is similar to a battery, and uses hydrogen to create electricity. It has low emissions and operates quietly.
Hydrogen is the third most-abundant element on earth; however, it must be extracted from other substances, such as water or fossil fuels. The challenge is developing an economical way to extract hydrogen to justify replacing existing fuels. For this fuel cell, hydrogen is extracted from natural gas.
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