UK independent fuel cell supplier UPS Systems has installed an SFC EFOY Pro 2200 DMFC at the Environment Agency’s Woolston Weir fishery. The installation will power a new eel pass monitoring the endangered species’ upstream journey to fresh water. The fuel cell has been installed alongside two load-carrying batteries hooked up in parallel. The DMFC acts as a charger to ensure the batteries are kept at optimum voltage at all times. The system provides continuous power to a water pump that oxygenates a holding tank where the eels are counted and checked. It also powers a web cam and the telemetry system.

The number of young eels migrating into European rivers has fallen to less than 5% of 1980s levels; the newly designed pass has been designed to allow the easy movement of eels between stretches of river, overcoming the potential obstacle that older-style flap gates posed. With zero emissions and near-silent operation the system won’t interfere with the eels’ natural habitat.