Paid feasibility study

Find out in about two weeks whether a behind-the-meter fuel cell pencils at your site — for $7,500.

A fixed-fee Preliminary Feasibility Study that gives your team a clear go / no-go on whether a carbonate fuel cell behind your meter can add firm, round-the-clock capacity — past PG&E's multi-year interconnection queue — clear your air district, and qualify for the incentive stack. Written report, delivered in about two weeks.

Request the study — $7,500 → Schedule a call instead

$7,500 USD · fixed fee · written report in ~2 weeks

PG&E primary service territory only. 24/7 baseload load profile. Site control or facility ownership.

What you get

A 5-section, ~10-page PDF written specifically for your site — the same memo a CFO and a facilities director can both sign off on.

Firm capacity & indicative economics

How much firm, behind-the-meter capacity an FCE1500 carbonate plant adds at your site, with indicative (modeled) annual energy figures against your current PG&E tariff. Estimates are clearly tagged feasibility-stage — never presented as firm.

Speed-to-power interconnection screen

How a non-export, behind-the-meter plant adds firm capacity in roughly 18 months while new grid service waits years in the PG&E queue — screened against PG&E Rule 21 fast-track criteria: feeder capacity, export posture, and the realistic timeline to PTO.

Project cost & incentive stack

Total installed cost range, plus the stack: the flat 30% federal ITC and the biogas premium where applicable. (SGIP's generation budget closed at the end of 2025 — counted as zero.)

Carbon footprint delta

Tons of CO₂ avoided per year vs. your current grid mix, based on 24/7 on-site generation displacing imported grid power.

Two-page go / no-go recommendation

A plain-English recommendation from Bcal: build, wait, or walk away. With the development engagement scope priced against your site — what we develop, what you provide, what each milestone costs.

Fixed fee. $7,500 USD, invoiced once we accept the engagement.
Turnaround. About two weeks from kickoff.
Next rung. 50% of this fee credits toward the $25,000 full ownership study if you advance within 90 days.
Intake screen. We qualify your site before invoicing. If we decline it at intake, there is no charge. Once we accept and begin work, the fixed fee is earned — the diligence is the deliverable, whatever the go / no-go verdict.

$7,500USD · fixed fee

Eligibility

The study is only useful if your site can actually host an FCE1500 plant. Three hard filters — we'll confirm them all during intake before any work starts.

PG&E primary territory

Bcal develops only in PG&E primary service territory. SMUD, other California IOUs, and municipal utilities are out of scope for this study.

24/7 baseload profile

The economics depend on running the plant 95%+ of the year. Daytime-only or seasonal sites do not pencil; we will flag that fast.

Site control or ownership

You either own the facility or hold a long-term lease with sublease/ground-lease consent. Without site control, we cannot model a 15–20 year structure.

Frequently asked

What's the turnaround time?

About two weeks from kickoff. A mutual NDA is executed before any site data is exchanged, and the clock starts once we have your data in hand — so a fast countersignature and a complete data package get you the report sooner.

What's the refund policy?

We qualify your site before we invoice. If we decline it at intake — wrong service territory, non-baseload load, no site control — there is no charge. Once we accept the engagement and begin work, the fixed fee is earned and non-refundable: the diligence itself is the deliverable, delivered whatever the go / no-go verdict. There is no performance or outcome refund.

Is there an NDA?

Yes. A mutual NDA is executed within 48 hours of payment and before any site data is exchanged. Bcal sends the executable PDF directly after payment lands. Your tariff data, single-line diagrams, and site information are covered under the mutual NDA for the duration of the engagement and beyond.

What if we don't proceed after the study?

That's fine, and it's part of the point. The study exists to get an honest go / no-go answer before anyone commits to a multi-million-dollar project. If the answer is no-go, you keep the report and the diligence file you'd need anyway. Bcal does not chase you after delivery.

Who delivers it?

Bharath Ramanidharan (President, Bcal Energy) leads the engagement and signs the memo. Bcal coordinates directly with FuelCell Energy engineering for platform-specific inputs (heat rate, thermal output, footprint) where the analysis requires it. Bcal is platform-loyal to the FCE1500 carbonate fuel cell and is independent of FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL).

Does any of the fee carry forward?

Yes, up the ladder. If you advance to the $25,000 full ownership study within 90 days of delivery, 50% of this study's fee credits toward it. The credit applies to the next study tier only — the study fees are earned diligence work and are not netted against any later development compensation.

About Bcal Energy

Bcal Energy is an independent California-based developer of behind-the-meter fuel cell power plants for industry. Behind your meter, ahead of the queue. Built on the FuelCell Energy carbonate platform.

Bcal is founder-led and currently developing first projects in PG&E service territory. We are platform-loyal to the FuelCell Energy FCE1500 carbonate fuel cell — the same platform that's been deployed at scale by FCE customers worldwide.

Founder. Bharath Ramanidharan, President. Background in energy project development and commercial structuring, based in California.

Bcal Energy is pre-revenue and currently developing first projects. The FCE platform's global operating record (30M+ operating hours across the FuelCell Energy fleet) is the FCE platform's track record, not Bcal's.

FCE1500 platform — canonical specs

Net power (BOL): 1,250 kW AC
Voltage: 480 V, 3-phase, 60 Hz
LHV efficiency: 49% (44–49% over life)
CHP total efficiency: ~80% conservative
NOx: < 0.01 lb/MWh
Fuel: NG, biogas, NG/H₂ up to 40% H₂
Footprint: 58' × 42' × 20'
Noise: 72 dBA at 10 ft
Capacity factor: 24/7 baseload (LTSA-backed)