Bloom Energy installs its energy platform at Unimicrons Taiwanese plants
Bloom Energy has entered into an agreement with chip substrate and PCB maker Unimicron, to deploy up to 10MW of fuel cells at Unimicron plants in Taiwan.
“Bloom’s superior energy technology capabilities are attractive to companies that need reliable power,” says Tim Schweikert, Senior Managing Director, International Business Development, Bloom Energy, in a press release. “That is particularly true of semiconductor fabs, which must meet a global demand for their products that shows no signs of abating. Bloom’s fuel-flexible platform can fill Unimicron’s needs today, with fuels that are available now, and they can transition to renewable fuels and hydrogen as those sources become more widely available.”
Reliable, high-quality power is critical to manufacturing operations particularly in the semiconductor and PCB operations because of the global demand for their products and the cost of electric power relative to their bottom line. Manufacturing facilities are also carbon intensive. Taiwan has also set ambitious decarbonization goals for its industries. The installations of the systems at Unimicron's plants in Taiwan will begin in 2023 and be completed by 2026.
Bloom’s energy platform can be configured to create a microgrid that can operate alongside an electricity grid, or independently of it. When powered by a fuel source with an underground pipeline system, such as natural gas, they are less susceptible to the impacts of extreme weather.
Bloom unveiled a multi-gigawatt manufacturing plant in Fremont, California in July 2022 to meet growing demand for its technology. The USD 200 million investment created a 164,000-square-foot facility followed the opening of a new research center and a global hydrogen development facility in Fremont.
