Generating Electricity through Natural Gas

UGI and Coherent Corp. recently completed a project that utilizes natural gaspowered fuel cells to provide electric generation for Coherent’s manufacturing facility in Palmer Township, Northampton County.

Formerly known as II-VI, Coherent Corp. is a global leader in materials, networking, and lasers for the industrial, communications, electronics, and instrumentation markets. The company is headquartered in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Today, the company operates in more than 20 countries around the world.

Coherent’s plant in Palmer Township manufactures silicon carbide substrates used in electronic and technology applications. According to Hugh Granade, Global Director of Real Estate and Facilities at Coherent, the process requires both furnaces that generate a significant amount of heat and accompanying cooling facilities.

“Fuel cells are extremely reliable,” Granade said, “and significantly reduce the risk of a catastrophic failure.”

Fuel cells are electrochemical cells that convert the energy of a fuel, such as natural gas, and oxygen into electricity. Fuel cells can produce electricity continuously as long as fuel and oxygen are supplied. The system at Coherent’s plant can generate nearly eight megawatts of power.

“The use of natural gas to generate electricity through fuel cells offers not only excellent reliability, but also environmental benefits,” Rhiannon Hazzard, UGI major accounts relationship manager, said.

UGI ran a short main extension and reinforced its natural gas capacity in the area to make the project feasible.