FuelCell Energy Inc. (FEC, Danbury, CT) signed an agreement with Grand Valley State University to install and service a DFC300A fuel cell power plant for the Energy Institute's 26,000ft² research center in Muskegon, MI. Funding for the entire project, including the building and the fuel cells, is being provided for by a $3 million alternative energy grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission and bonding from the City of Muskegon.
The company's Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) power plant will provide electricity and a heat-recovery system for heating and cooling that advances energy technology applications in newly created research space, incubator facilities, conference centers and classrooms. The project will also include a solar/photovoltaic installation that will provide hot water and hot air for heating and air conditioning. The building is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2003.
The development will be the first commercial project to integrate fuel cell technology, a heat-recovery system for heating and air conditioning, photovoltaics, and a nickel-metal hydride battery storage system to store excess energy. The result will be a building that powers itself using green sources. The project's goal is to develop and improve the quality and application of energy-efficient technologies such as fuel cells for stationary base load power generation and to expand the market for such technologies.
