FuelCell Energy To Demonstrate 300KW DFC300 Power Plant
Danbury CT (SPX) Nov 23, 2010 FuelCell Energy has announced a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL), to relocate, install and service a DFC300 fuel cell power plant at U.S. Army Camp Parks Reserve Forces Training Area located in Dublin, California. This project will demonstrate the high efficiency, reliability and ultra-clean benefits of a fuel cell power plant to the U.S. Army for a minimum of fourteen months. The project will involve the relocation and installation of a DFC300 power plant owned by the DoD that was operated at another military base under a one year demonstration program. The Camp Parks project represents the first Direct FuelCell(R) (DFC(R)) fuel cell power plant on a U.S. Army base following fuel cell power plant installations at U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine bases. The U.S. military is the largest single consumer of energy in the USA, using 79 percent of the total energy consumed by the Federal Government in 2006. The DoD energy policy includes improving energy efficiency, expanding use of renewable and ultra-clean energy and reducing green house gas emissions, while reducing the risk to the military and critical national infrastructure from losses of power. The high efficiency and ultra-clean attributes of fuel cells that dependably generate power at the point of use make fuel cell power plants well suited for powering U.S. military bases. The fuel cell power plant will provide power to an electrical sub-station on the Base, replacing electricity currently supplied by the commercial electric grid. Site preparation will begin in late 2010 and the power plant is expected to be operational by the summer of 2011. "Fuel cells help the U.S. Military increase energy efficiency while enhancing energy security," said Chip Bottone, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, FuelCell Energy, Inc. "The high efficiency of this fuel cell power plant combined with the reliable power that it will generate right on the Base will assist the Army in achieving its energy goals and help the Base perform its mission." The fuel cell electro-chemical generation process is highly efficient. Fuel cells are 47 percent electrically efficient, which is higher than any similar size combustion based power plant. Higher efficiency results in fuel savings for the client as a greater amount of electricity is generated from each unit of fuel compared to less efficient combustion based power sources. Camp Parks Reserve Forces Training Area in Dublin, California is the home of the U.S. Army 91st Division (Reserve). Thousands of National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers from the San Francisco Bay Area train at Camp Parks. The Mission of the Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) is to provide science, technology, and expertise in engineering and environmental sciences in support of the U.S. Armed Forces and the Nation. CERL conducts research to support sustainable military installations. Research is directed toward increasing the Army's ability to more efficiently construct, operate, and maintain its installations and ensure environmental quality and safety at lower cost.
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