Utility-grade fuel cell power plants, electrochemical from front to back, factory-built and delivered on a single concrete pad. Bcal is the developer, standardized on the FuelCell Energy FCE1500 carbonate platform.
Bcal is the project developer, standardized on the FuelCell Energy FCE1500 carbonate platform — the utility-grade stack that fits the widest range of behind-the-meter California sites. The paid Preliminary Feasibility Study includes a technology-neutral comparison of the alternatives as part of the analysis, so you see why carbonate pencils for your fuel and your thermal sink.
Spec ranges below reflect a representative molten carbonate baseline · we'll size to your meter.
The FCE1500 converts pipeline natural gas — or on-site biogas — to electricity electrochemically. Because there is no combustion, criteria pollutants are orders of magnitude below reciprocating engines or gas turbines.
Exhaust gas exits at approximately 700°F and is captured for combined heat and power: hot water, process steam, or absorption chilling. The host site captures both the electricity and the useful thermal.
The plant operates grid-parallel under normal conditions and is capable of island-mode operation during utility outages when specified with appropriate switchgear. It rides through PSPS events without diesel.
Each module is factory-built and ships on a single 58-by-42-foot pad. Stack additional modules as load grows. The technical scope with two modules is identical to the scope with one — there are simply more units on the pad.
Electrons out the front. Useful thermal out the back. The host captures both.
Each module ships factory-built on a 58-by-42-foot pad. Run it on pipeline natural gas, renewable biogas, or on-site digester gas.
| Parameter | FCE1500 Module |
|---|---|
| Net AC output | 1,250 kW per module · scalable with additional units |
| Thermal output | 2.435 MMBtu/h per module — usable for chilling, process heat, or domestic hot water |
| Heat rate | 7,580 BTU/kWh HHV |
| Electrical efficiency | 49% LHV (vs. ~33% grid-average delivered) |
| Total efficiency (CHP) | Up to ~90% when thermal is captured |
| Fuel | Pipeline natural gas, renewable biogas, or on-site digester gas |
| NOx | 0.01 lb/MWh — well below BAAQMD, SJVAPCD, SMAQMD limits |
| CO2 (BOL) | ~880 lb/MWh on natural gas; net-negative on biogas |
| Noise | 72 dBA at 10 ft — quieter than a typical rooftop chiller |
| Footprint | 58′ × 42′ × 20′ pad per module |
| Exhaust temperature | ~700°F captured for CHP |
| Availability | 24/7 baseload — not weather-dependent — runs through PSPS events |
A 20-minute conversation is where we start — no cost. When you're ready to put numbers to your site, our Preliminary Feasibility Study is $7,500 fixed and delivered in about two weeks; the $25,000 full ownership study is the next rung.
