The Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC, Woodlands, TX), a consortium comprised of Southern Company, Texaco Energy Systems Inc., and Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development Inc., has successfully connected a 5kW proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system into the electric grid. The unit, manufactured by Plug Power Inc. (Latham, NY), is believed to be the first residential-size system in Texas connected to the grid using PUC-T interconnection codes.
George King, director of HARC's Energy Group, commented, "We are putting energy into HARC's internal grid to learn whether homes, in the future, can safely generate their own power and even receive emission reduction credits from on-site fuel cell installations."