US fuel cell manufacturer Fuelcell Energy has opened its latest clean energy project with a ceremony in Derby, Connecticut.
The 14-megawatt baseload fuel cell project on Roosevelt Drive is modular in design and consists of 10 fuel cells and is expected to provide power to thousands of customers of utilities Eversource and United Illuminating. According to Fuelcell Energy, this is the second largest fuel cell park in North America following the Fuelcell Energy project in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The Derby site was selected by the Connecticut state government, which conducted a competitive bidding process as part of its efforts to develop decentralised utility-scale clean energy solutions that can be deployed in densely populated areas throughout Connecticut.
In addition, the fuel cell park is the first major project to come online since the state launched its new “Make it Here” marketing campaign to demonstrate the manufacturing strength of local industry. According to Fuelcell Energy, all components of the system were manufactured at the RENIXX Group plant in Torrington, Connecticut.
The fuel cell modules will be used in Derby under 20-year power purchase agreements with Eversource and United Illuminating to supply competitive, Class I renewable energy. By definition, a Class I renewable energy sourc in Connecticut is electricity generated from wind, geothermal or fuel cells. The Roosevelt Drive fuel cell project was first announced in 2018 following a Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Clean Energy RFP and is one of two fuel cell projects in Derby awarded to Fuelcell Energy. The second project was awarded under Connecticut’s Shared Clean Energy Facility (SCEF) programme. The fuel cell capacity at this site is 2.8 MW.
