Bobcat Installs Stationary Fuel Cells At Manufacturing Facilities

In line with its goals to reduce the company’s environmental impact, Bobcat Company has installed 14 stationary, natural gas-powered fuel cells at two of its manufacturing facilities in North Dakota. The fuel cell units, from HyAxiom, Inc., will operate in parallel with the commercial power grid while carving a pathway to decarbonization by producing clean energy for the facilities’ operations.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of sustainable energy solutions with the installation of these new stationary fuel cells. This is just one example of our commitment to advancing our facilities today for a better tomorrow.”

— Mike Ballweber, President, Doosan Bobcat North America

The three fuel cells at Bobcat’s Bismarck facility and the 11 units at the company’s Gwinner location are the first commercial installations of stationary fuel cells in North Dakota. The recently commissioned fuel cells allow West Fargo, ND-based Bobcat to diversify its energy sources by supplying a majority of the annual power and heat needs of the Bismarck facility, and about half the needs of the Gwinner facility.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of sustainable energy solutions with the installation of these new stationary fuel cells,” said Mike Ballweber, president, Doosan Bobcat North America. “This is just one example of our commitment to advancing our facilities today for a better tomorrow.”

The project is owned and operated by DESA Service LLC, a subsidiary of Doosan Energy Solutions America Inc.

“HyAxiom’s stationary fuel cell solutions provide efficient combined heat and power that will help Bobcat improve its operations and continue innovating for the smart job site of the future,” said David Alonso, chief commercial officer at HyAxiom.

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Utilized in a wide range of applications, HyAxiom’s PureCell® M400 is a proprietary phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC). It can use natural gas, hydrogen, LPG or a blend of fuels to produce rapidly deployable baseload electricity and heat that are also resilient, sustainable, and affordable. While this is the first installation of fuel cells in North Dakota, HyAxiom’s fuel cells are in operation nationwide and globally, providing power and heat for commercial and industrial uses. A resilient source of energy for micro grid applications, they provide the ability to switch between grid connected and grid independent modes.

In Bismarck, Bobcat is able to provide power back to the grid as a registered power producer. This reduces the demand on Bismarck energy providers and ensures there is enough power on the grid. Thanks to the useable heat produced by the fuel cells, Bobcat has also been able to reduce its overall energy use by eliminating two boilers previously required to produce heat on its paint line.