posted
It would be sweet if (WTR) Aqua America would use FCEL in their operations.
Updated:2006-03-27 09:25:11 FuelCell Energy Power Plant Fueled with Sewage Digester Gas Certified Efficient, Grid-Safe and Ultra-Clean by Key Japanese Industry Group BUSINESS WIRE DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- Independent industry group validates Direct FuelCell use in wastewater treatment; certification expected to streamline process of marketing future DFC sales in Japan
FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of ultra-clean and efficient electric power generation plants for commercial and industrial customers, today announced that the Japan Institute of Wastewater Engineering Technology (JIWET) has completed a comprehensive review of the DFC300A power plant operating at Seibu Wastewater Treatment Plant, certifying that the product meets or exceeds the independent industry trade group's examination standards for electrical efficiency, heat recovery efficiency, air emissions and operational stability in anaerobic digester gas (ADG) applications.
Certification of the Direct FuelCell(R) (DFC(R)) unit by JIWET was the result of more than a year of testing and evaluation by the group in conjunction with the city of Fukuoka, operator of the Seibu plant; Marubeni Corporation (TSE:8002), FuelCell Energy's Asian distributor; and Kyushu Electric, one of Japan's five largest utilities.
JIWET's certification process reviewed the plant's electrical efficiency; its exhaust heat recovery; and its ability to reduce atmospheric pollutants like particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and sulfuric oxides. The DFC unit was confirmed to eliminate these air pollutants to levels lower than one-tenth the emissions permissible under Japan's strict environmental laws.
"Certification from JIWET is an important endorsement of Marubeni's long-term investment in FuelCell Energy's products," said Mamoru Sekiyama, Corporate Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Marubeni Corporation. "Direct FuelCell power plants operating on renewable bio gas are economically competitive -- since the fuel is free -- and they qualify for government support under Biomass Nippon and the RPS Law of 2003. We feel this milestone will help us launch DFC fuel cells in Japan as the preferred ultra-clean, renewable, firm power option."
Commitments by Japanese companies and governmental organizations to reduce greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocols increase the attractiveness of our DFC products. Because traditional fuels for power generation are expensive in Japan, and because DFC units are capable of generating high-efficiency electricity on renewables like ADG, they hold an important competitive advantage in the Japanese market. There are approximately 200 sites in Japan that produce sufficient ADG to generate 250 kW or more of electric generation from DFC power plants.
"ADG is a renewable fuel, meaning our fuel cell products qualify for financial support under Japan's Renewable Portfolio Standards," said R. Daniel Brdar, president and CEO of FuelCell Energy. "This reduces the cost of the electricity and opens up other opportunities to sell DFC power plants for reliable and firm, 24/7 electric generation on renewable fuels. JIWET's certification, which recognizes the economic and environmental advantages of our products for onsite power generation, streamlines the process of selling DFC units into this market for similar applications."
JIWET was created in 1992 to research, develop, evaluate, promote and improve the utilization of new technologies for sewage treatment facilities in Japan.
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As California goes, so goes the nation. Just as long as it doesn't go down the drain.
Updated:2006-04-20 09:46:29 California State University Northridge Buys 1 Megawatt Ultra-Clean FuelCell Energy Power Plant to Help Meet Its Green Energy Mandate BUSINESS WIRE DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- Efficient, quiet, on-site generation to provide cost-effective firm base load power while meeting university's clean energy policy; represents largest university fuel cell installation
FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of ultra-clean and efficient electric power generation plants for commercial and industrial customers, and its partner Alliance Power Inc., today announced the sale of a 1 megawatt (MW) fuel cell power plant to California State University, Northridge (CSUN) for a combined heat and power application to help the university meet its goals for greater energy independence, capital growth, cost management and increased use of green power.
The high efficiency Direct FuelCell(R) (DFC(R)) power plant will generate base load electricity for the university's facilities and surplus heat for hot water. Uniquely, the university also plans on routing exhaust from the heat exchanger into an adjacent greenhouse and arboretum to enhance photosynthesis, boosting plant growth and harvests by 10 to 40 percent. The carbon dioxide enrichment potential provided by the fuel cell plant may be used for specialized plant research, or as a convention of study within the regular biology academic program -- an opportunity rarely made available to baccalaureate biology students.
The DFC power plant will be commissioned in the second half of 2006 and operated by CSUN with technical support from FuelCell Energy and Alliance Power.
Students have provided significant support for clean energy technology initiatives, and the California State University (CSU) has established itself as the nation's leading academic institution taking action to stop global warming. After two years of lobbying by students, the CSU Board of Trustees voted unanimously for one of the most comprehensive university policies on clean energy in the U.S. Part of the resolution called for all new buildings beginning in 2006/2007 to meet the CSU Sustainability Measurement System certified level which shall be equivalent to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified, with regard to the microclimates and physical diversity of the CSU campuses. Campuses are encouraged to strive for Silver level performance (http://www.usgbc.org/FileHandling/ show_general_file.asp?DocumentID=913) (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.) within budget constraints. The policy also encouraged clean and ultra-clean cogenerating energy technologies including fuel cells. CSUN began its drive to install onsite power generation from clean technologies in 2002 with the installation of 692 kilowatts of solar panels that provide a portion of the campus' peaking electricity requirements.
"DFC power plants will provide us with a base load option that reduces the strain on the California grid, improves our energy independence and power reliability, manages our energy and operational costs well into the future, and helps the environment," said Tom Brown, Director of Physical Plant Management, CSUN. "In leading by example, we are demonstrating how clean electricity can cost effectively power our campus."
CSUN's unit will be the single largest fuel cell power plant at any university in the world and is the seventh DFC plant of any capacity installed at a university. Institutions of higher education represent an excellent application of fuel cells' 24/7 electrical generation -- where they can power academic facilities during the day and address critical base load needs at night.
Because the units are quiet and environmentally friendly, they often can be installed close to the classrooms and dorms where energy is needed. Other university sites with DFC power plant installations include Yale University in Connecticut; Ocean County College in New Jersey; Grand Valley State University in Michigan; State University of New York at Syracuse; Chosun University Hospital in Korea; and Pohang University in Korea. The combined heat and power market potential for college and university applications in California exceeds 340 MW according to a 2000 study by Onsite Sycom Energy Corporation prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy.
"Universities have used cogeneration to great effect in the past, and now we're seeing students press their institutions to create and use even more clean energy," said R. Daniel Brdar, President and CEO of FuelCell Energy. "This is a market that's expanding, and it comprises many megawatts for colleges and universities around the country. California's state university system alone is the largest in North America."
California continues to lead the way in supporting fuel cell technology by providing financial and regulatory support. FuelCell Energy's DFC products meet the California Air Resources Board (CARB) stringent emissions requirements for 2007. By meeting these standards, DFC power plants are categorized as ultra-clean distributed generation technology which helps streamline the permitting process, and qualifies FuelCell Energy's DFC products for preferential rate treatment by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), such as the elimination of exit fees and stand-by charges for customer electric generation.
Southern California Gas, administrator for the CPUC's Self Generation Program for the Northridge area, issued a reservation letter that will provide incentive funding of up to $2.25 million of eligible project costs and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has committed an additional $500,000 incentive to the CSUN DFC power plant installation.
"We continue to see strong demand for ultra-clean onsite power generation in California, with many customers looking for megawatt-class DFC installations for firm, base load combined heat and power applications," said James Michael, President of Alliance Power. "The high efficiency and ultra-clean DFC power plants address two significant issues in the California market -- high energy costs and strict air quality standards."
The high efficiency of DFC power plants not only results in less fuel needed per unit of power output and lower operating costs, but reduced amounts of carbon dioxide. By generating power without combustion, there are significantly less harmful pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and particulates.
California State University, Northridge has 33,000 full- and part-time students and offers 63 bachelors and 48 masters degrees as well as 28 education credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond
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Updated:2006-04-25 10:22:02 FuelCell Energy's Record-Setting Power Plant Serves as Centerpiece of Earth Day Dedication at Montana's Billings Clinic; Montana Senator Conrad Burns Notes Ultra-Clean, High-Efficiency Plant Lowers Both Energy and Healthcare Costs BUSINESS WIRE DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)----FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of ultra-clean electric power generation plants for commercial and industrial customers, marked Earth Day 2006 with the dedication of a highly efficient Direct FuelCell/Turbine(R) (DFC/T(R)) at the Billings Clinic in Montana.
Joining officials from the Billings Clinic and FuelCell Energy to mark the plant's installation was U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont.
"This will not only help energy costs, but healthcare costs as well," said Burns. "We can find ways to develop energy and lower health care costs. I know what the impact is going to be, and it is all positive."
FuelCell Energy has been developing the DFC/T product following an initial Vision 21 Program contract award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2000. The DFC/T system integrates FuelCell Energy's 250 kilowatt Direct FuelCell(R) (DFC(R)) power plant with a 60 kilowatt microturbine from Capstone Turbine Corporation. Heat generated by the fuel cell is used to drive a modified microturbine to generate additional electricity. The supplemental microturbine power increases the electrical efficiency and reduces the cost of power generated -- without the use of additional fuel. The combined-cycle DFC/T system has no combustion which allows for ultra-clean performance.
"This fuel cell power plant will help reduce energy costs for the clinic, which, like other businesses, has seen a stiff increase in heating and power costs in the past five years," said Jim Duncan, Director of Development and Community Affairs for the Billings Clinic. "We really have to tackle cost containment from every possible angle, whether it is medical liability insurance or energy efficiency."
In February, FuelCell Energy announced this DFC/T power plant achieved a 56 percent electrical efficiency -- a record-setting performance in a sub-megawatt class - for over 800 continuous hours during initial testing at its Danbury facility. This product can serve markets that require high efficiency electrical generation.
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