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The Hard Cell
CCEF green-lights finalists in fuel-cell demo program
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Business New Haven
3/18/2002
By: BNH
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The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) on March 13 announced finalists in an RFP program designed to stimulate the development and commercialization of fuel-cell technology. The announcement at the state Capitol marked the official kickoff of the five-year program during which each selected project selected will demonstrate the effectiveness of fuel cells as an energy source.
“We have established a leadership role in the fuel cell industry,” said CCEF Chairman Arthur H. Diedrick. Three leading fuel cell manufacturers are based here, he added, providing the nation's primary source for commercially viable fuel cells. “The fuel cells that powered NASA's Apollo space ships were developed and built here, and we are relying on that same ingenuity to build on our position as the epicenter of fuel cell technology,” he said.
Established by the state Legislature to address global warming, environmental effects of emissions and the state's energy needs, the CCEF has made fuel-cell technology a priority. As well, said Diedrick, “The events of September 11 dramatically reinforced the need to move toward energy independence.”
Connecticut is the first of the nation's 14 deregulated states to launch a fuel cell initiative of this magnitude. The finalists, who will make substantial financial contributions to their projects, were seeking funding through CCEF's RFP Program, which has a project budget of approximately $8 million this year.
The projects were selected from 31 proposals. The finalists represent three types of projects:
• Commercial application projects involving installation of commercially ready fuel cells in high-value applications to showcase the benefits, feasibility and viability of their use.
• Demonstration projects/operational performance, which involve installation of near-commercial fuel cell units to track performance and gather data to accelerate commercialization.
• And demonstration projects offering technological improvements to enhance the efficiency or lower costs of fuel cells.
Fuel cells, which are clean, efficient and highly reliable power generating devices, have an added benefit - they produce only a small fraction of the emissions of traditional energy sources.
Local RFP finalists include:
• Fuel cell research and development at Allen Engineering in Southbury.
• A 50 mW fuel cell power plant used to power a compressor station in Fairfield County as well as provide excess Class I renewable power to the grid.
• And a fuel cell, supplied by UTC Fuel Cells, to be installed at the New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority.
The proposals were evaluated by a team consisting of members of the CCEF professional staff; associates from Booz, Allen Hamilton; independent outside consultants and associates from the Energy, Conservation & Load Management Fund.
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