SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, at the 2011 Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Conference in Washington, D.C., UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp. company announced that its next-generation stationary fuel cell, the PureCell® Model 400 System fleet has reached a major milestone -- 100,000 hours of field operation. In reaching this mark, the growing fleet has generated enough energy to power more than 3,000 homes for over a year. Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen in an electrochemical process to produce electricity, heat and water. This game-changing product is one of the cleanest, quietest and most energy-efficient power-generating options available in the world today.
The PureCell® System boasts an industry-leading 10-year cell stack life -- twice the durability of the previous generation and three to four times more durable than other competing commercial fuel cell technologies. Mike Brown, UTC Power vice president of government affairs and general counsel, said, "By providing clean, efficient and continuous base-load energy for buildings, fuel cells have become a proven and crucial component of the energy independence roadmap." Brown and repeat UTC Power customer Bruce Redman Becker, president of Becker + Becker, an architecture and development firm, participated in a keynote session about stationary fuel cells and end users at the conference.
Becker + Becker has already purchased and installed two PureCell® Model 400 Systems. One system is installed at 360 State Street, a 500-unit LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum-certified project in New Haven, Conn., making the facility the first large-scale mixed-use residential building to generate a majority of its own power on-site with a fuel cell. Another PureCell System is generating power and thermal energy at the Octagon, a 500-unit LEED Silver-certified upscale residential building on Roosevelt Island, N.Y.
Bruce Becker said, "We are proud to pioneer the fuel cell revolution in multi-family development, powering the first 1,000 homes with UTC Power's Model 400 System. We could not have achieved this incredible feat without the innovation and perseverance of our architecture and engineering team, as well as the policy and financial support of the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority and the Multi-Employer Property Trust."
The PureCell Model 400 can provide up to 400 kW of assured electrical power, plus 1.7 million Btu/hour of heat for combined heat and power applications. In a combined heat and power application, the fuel cell can achieve an industry-best 90 percent total system efficiency resulting in lower energy costs and reduced emissions for customers.
Since the early 1990s, UTC Power has designed, manufactured and installed more than 300 stationary fuel cell power plants in 19 countries on six continents. The fuel cells are located at diverse locations, including educational institutions, hospitals, manufacturing facilities, office buildings and supermarkets. The company's previous generation stationary fleet, the PureCell® Model 200 has accumulated more than 9.4 million operating hours, unmatched in the industry.
UTC Power delivered its first Model 400 to customers in late 2009 and the fleet continues to grow. In 2010, UTC Power installed dozens of its stationary fuel cells at locations in California, Connecticut, New York, Wisconsin and South Korea.
To keep up with the growing demand for the PureCell System, UTC Power recently completed a major upgrade to its world-class production facility in South Windsor, Conn., which now features fuel cell fabrication robotics, rail and turntable assembly and state-of-the-art testing stations.
About UTC Power
UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp. company, is a world leader in developing and producing fuel cells that generate energy for buildings and for transportation, space and defense applications. The company, with more than 50 years of experience, is based in South Windsor, Conn. UTC Power is the only fuel cell company in the world to have worked with all five major fuel cell technologies and to produce fuel cells for both stationary and transportation applications. For more information, please visit http://www.utcpower.com/ .
About Becker+Becker
Founded in 1950, Becker + Becker Associates (B+B) is a full service green architecture, planning, preservation and real estate development firm providing integrated services to private, non-profit and governmental clients. The firm also develops multifamily and mixed-use projects for its own account. Over the past 20 years, B+B has participated in the planning, design and development of apartment communities and mixed use developments with more than 5,000 apartments and a development cost of over $1 billion. B+B seeks projects that have a social and environmental value: restoring underutilized historic buildings and urban sites to provide housing, education, retail and child care facilities. The firm prides itself on developing creative solutions to complex challenges in land use planning, finance and architecture to create sustainable development. B+B strives to enrich the larger environment and community that its developments become a part of, and is committed to recognizing and addressing the vital social and environmental role of buildings. Good design and development result from a comprehensive understanding of how buildings should function, serve their users and affect the environment. Recent projects have been designed to have half the carbon footprint of conventional apartment buildings. For more info, go to http://www.beckerandbecker.com/
Contact: Annie Donnelly (860) 726 8299 Annie.donnelly@utcpower.com
UTC Power
CONTACT: Annie Donnelly, +1-860-726 8299, Annie.donnelly@utcpower.com
Web Site: http://www.utcpower.com/
