DANBURY, Conn., Nov. 7, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL), a global leader in the design, manufacture, operation and service of ultra‐clean, efficient and reliable fuel cell power plants, participated in a dedication event yesterday to showcase the fuel cell power plant installation at a wastewater treatment facility in Wyoming that utilizes renewable biogas as a fuel source to power a nearby Microsoft datacenter and supply heat to the facility's wastewater treatment process. The event was hosted by Microsoft, FuelCell Energy and a variety of participating Wyoming-based organizations and held at the Dry Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Dignitaries included Wyoming Governor Matt Mead, who praised the power plant's zero carbon footprint and the innovation of locating the datacenter near a renewable fuel source that the fuel cell cleanly converts to power.
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"Growing Wyoming's technology sector has been a priority and Wyoming is seeing results," said Governor Matt Mead. "This alternative energy project is not only a zero-carbon data center, it is more. It is a laboratory for biogas and fuel cell research. Wyoming is on the cutting edge."
"This fuel cell power plant installation can be considered a blueprint for powering data centers with zero or low carbon electricity," said Chip Bottone, President and Chief Executive Officer, FuelCell Energy, Inc. "Our Direct Fuel Cell (DFC®) technology is fuel flexible, proven, and well suited for applications such as these; efficiently converting a waste disposal challenge into renewable power in a carbon-neutral manner that emits virtually zero pollutants."
"Our objective is to transform the way our datacenters do business, with greater energy efficacy and a lower environmental impact," said Christian Belady, General Manager of Datacenter Services, Microsoft. "By bringing together the power plant with the datacenter, we are actually simplifying the power distribution infrastructure and improving efficiency in the distribution of power. We're excited to explore such innovative renewable solutions that can help lead to a more sustainable future for everyone."
"We are proud to be amongst the many organizations to collaborate on this project," said Randy Bruns, Chief Executive Officer, Cheyenne LEADS. "The benefits of this fuel cell power plant are manifold; supporting the economic, environmental and energy policies locally, state-wide and even nationally with the sustainable nature of the power generation."
The fuel cell power plant uses renewable biogas generated by the Dry Creek Water Reclamation Facility to generate ultra-clean and carbon-neutral electricity to power a Microsoft datacenter located at the water reclamation facility. This project enables Microsoft to demonstrate the effectiveness of using FuelCell Energy power plants to efficiently use on-site biogas to power future sustainable data centers. The fuel cell power plant began operating on clean natural gas in early 2014 and is now operating on renewable biogas. This project is being evaluated as a template for future potential megawatt-class data center applications utilizing renewable biogas.
The organizations responsible for bringing this fuel cell project to fruition include Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities, Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power Company, Western Research Institute, the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Business Council, Siemens, and Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development organization for Cheyenne and Laramie County, Wyoming.
Stationary DFC power plants convert a fuel source into ultra-clean electricity and usable high temperature heat suitable for making steam. The fuel cell generates electricity and heat electrochemically. Due to the absence of combustion, virtually no pollutants are emitted. The almost complete absence of nitrogen oxide (NOx) that causes smog, sulfur dioxide (SOx) that causes acid rain and particulate matter is why DFC plants are termed ultra-clean. Generating both clean electricity and usable heat from the same unit of fuel enhances efficiency and reduces emissions. DFC plants can be located where biogas is generated, such as wastewater treatment facilities or landfills.
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 2.9 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 more information, please visit www.fuelcellenergy.com
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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.
