08 Feb 2024, Case Studies

Case study: EFOY ProEnergyBox

A reliable, hybrid energy solution for a university research project

The Application

Our client, the K. Lisa Yang Centre for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell University, collects and interprets sounds in nature by developing and applying innovative conservation technologies across diff erent environments to inspire and inform the conservation of wildlife and habitats.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology works collaboratively with the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, US Army Corps of Engineers on a mitigation project to acoustically detect and report in near real-time the presence of endangered bird species on the Island of Hawai’i to minimize the potential negative impacts of military exercises on the local bird community.

The Challenge

Due to the nature of the project, reliable and continuous operation of the near real-time acoustic recording units is extremely important. The production of high-resolution images and acoustic detection of bird calls as part of the research draw a lot of continuous power which is difficult to maintain remotely.

The Solution

The client chose to implement an EFOY ProEnergyBox customized with an EFOY Pro 900 Fuel Cell used in conjunction with 125 W of solar. This hybrid energy solution meant the research project could continue monitoring and exporting near real-time data with enough autonomous power for up to two years.

The Benefits

The EFOY Pro Fuel Cell in addition to solar supplies ongoing power to ensure 24/7/365 visibility and autonomy for near real-time data acquisition key to understanding the avian community which encompasses the research project.

  • SustainabilityEFOY Fuel Cells convert methanol into electricity through a single-stage catalytic conversion process, making it one of the cleanest ways of producing electrical energy.
  • Low maintenanceEFOY Pro Fuel Cells offer reliable power with minimal maintenance, a viable alternative to eliminate diesel dependency for remote installations.
  • A complement to wind and solar – When solar and wind fail to deliver enough power, the EFOY automatically switches on to replace the power shortfall.
  • EFOY Cloud – The EFOY Cloud service ensures accurate monitoring of the power system to maintain the requirements for real-time data acquisition in remote environments.

Client Feedback

“The EFOY systems have been running flawlessly for over a year now and have been essential for the success of our project. We will consider these setups for future projects aiming at monitoring remote and inaccessible areas.”

Click here to download the EFOY ProEnergyBox case study