The United Illuminating Company, a subsidiary of UIL Holdings
Corporation (NYSE:UIL), today announced it has finalized an
agreement with the town of Woodbridge to build a state-of-the-art
microgrid — powered by a FuelCell Energy, Inc. power plant — that
will generate clean energy and ensure that critical municipal
facilities have reliable power even when the lights are out
elsewhere.
The FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL) power plant will supply
2.2 megawatts of ultra-clean power to the electric grid under
normal operation. The power plant will also serve as the hub of a
self-contained microgrid that, in the event of a disruption, will
provide an independent power system for seven municipal facilities.
The power plant will be located at the Amity Regional High School
and the co-generated heat from the fuel cell power generation
process will be used for heating the high school and providing hot
water.
“This state-of-the-art facility will produce clean power and
help ensure that critical municipal services in Woodbridge —
including the police and fire departments — can continue to
function even when storms and similar events cause widespread power
outages,” said James P. Torgerson, UIL’s president and chief
executive officer.
The project completes UI’s commitment under Connecticut’s
Renewable Connections Program to build and operate facilities
generating up to 10 megawatts of clean, class-I renewable energy.
UI’s other RCP projects include a 5-megawatt combined fuel cell and
solar facility in Bridgeport, and a 2.8-megawatt fuel cell power
plant in New Haven. All three facilities use FuelCell Energy, Inc.
power plants.
"Ensuring citizens receive reliable and affordable power
delivered in a clean manner is the mandate that the State of
Connecticut is pursuing, and this project perfectly illustrates
what can be accomplished with collaboration between utility
companies, the state, the community, and clean energy solutions
providers,” said Robert Klee, commissioner of Connecticut’s
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
UI also finalized contracts with the Amity Regional District No.
5 and the town of Woodbridge to build and operate the power plant
and microgrid, which is expected to be operational by late 2016.
Seven critical municipal buildings will be part of the microgrid,
ensuring a reliable supply of power for government facilities.
These include:
- Woodbridge Town hall
- Library
- Fire House
- Police Station
- Public Works Facility
- Senior Center (which also serves as an emergency center)
- Amity Regional High School
“Amity Regional School District No. 5 is pleased to host this
groundbreaking clean energy project, which will deliver economic,
environmental, educational, and resiliency benefits to our
community,” said Dr. Charles (Chip) Dumais, superintendent of Amity
Regional School District No. 5. “We are excited about the
educational opportunities that will be available to Amity students
and the substantial financial savings that will be realized through
reclaimed exhaust heat.”
Under a contract with UI, FuelCell Energy will design, build and
install the fuel cell power plant, and will also operate and
maintain it under a long-term service agreement. FuelCell Energy is
also designing the micro-grid controller that runs its automated
operation when the surrounding grid loses power during a storm or
other event.
“This project shows the different values clean and affordable
fuel cell power plants deliver to multiple stakeholders and is a
replicable model for other municipalities evaluating similar
structures such as programs being evaluated in the states of New
York and California,” said Chip Bottone, chief executive officer of
FuelCell Energy, Inc. “Under this utility ownership structure, the
town of Woodbridge avoids the need to directly invest in resiliency
infrastructure and The United Illuminating Company reinforces
its leadership position in terms of reliable power delivery in an
environmentally friendly manner.”
The Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) power plant, configured in a
combined heat and power (CHP) application, will convert clean
natural gas into electricity and heat through an electrochemical
process that is free of combustion and virtually absent of harmful
pollutants. Fuel cell plants operate quietly and have modest space
requirements. The fuel cell power generation process is very
efficient and generates both power and heat from the same unit of
fuel resulting in a carbon footprint that is about one-quarter that
of the average U.S. electric grid. The fuel cell’s
environmentally-friendly power generation process supports the
town’s sustainability goals and contributes to cleaner air for the
citizens of Woodbridge.
About UIL Holdings Corporation Headquartered in
New Haven, Connecticut, UIL Holdings Corporation (NYSE:UIL) is a
diversified energy delivery company serving approximately 727,000
electric and natural gas utility customers in 69 communities across
two states, with combined total assets of over $5 billion.
UIL is the parent company of The United Illuminating Company
(UI), The Southern Connecticut Gas Company (SCG), Connecticut
Natural Gas Corporation (CNG), and The Berkshire Gas Company, each
more than 100 years old. UI provides for the transmission and
delivery of electricity and other energy related services for
Connecticut's Greater New Haven and Bridgeport areas. SCG and CNG
are natural gas distribution companies that serve customers in
Connecticut, while Berkshire Gas serves natural gas customers in
western Massachusetts. UIL employs more than 1,900 people in the
New England region.
About FuelCell Energy Direct FuelCell® power
plants are generating ultra-clean, efficient and reliable power at
more than 50 locations worldwide. With more than 300
megawatts of power generation capacity installed or in backlog,
FuelCell Energy is a global leader in providing ultra-clean
baseload distributed generation to utilities, industrial
operations, universities, municipal water treatment facilities,
government installations and other customers around the
world. The Company’s power plants have generated more than
four billion kilowatt hours of ultra-clean power using a variety of
fuels including renewable biogas from wastewater treatment and food
processing, as well as clean natural gas. For additional
information, please visit www.fuelcellenergy.com, follow us on
Twitter and view our videos on YouTube.
Direct FuelCell, DFC, DFC/T, DFC-H2 and FuelCell Energy, Inc.
are all registered trademarks of FuelCell Energy, Inc.
DFC-ERG is a registered trademark jointly owned by Enbridge, Inc.
and FuelCell Energy, Inc.
Contacts:
UIL Holdings: Media
Michael A. West, Jr.
Vice President, Corporate Communications
203-499-3858
michael.west@uinet.com
FuelCell Energy: Media
Rob Skinner
Director of Media Strategy, MSL Group
781-684-0770
fce@mslgroup.com
FuelCell Energy: Investors
Kurt Goddard
Vice President, Investor Relations
203-830-7494
ir@fce.com
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