Bridgeport leads way in fuel cells

4/1/07

If all goes according to plan, there will be dozens of new apartments in downtown Bridgeport over the coming months, and they’ll all need light and heat. Add to that the businesses that say they’re on the way and, just possibly, the first signs of life at the massive Steel Point development, and it’s clear there are plenty of growing power needs in the city and beyond.
Maybe some of that energy can be the nonpolluting kind. In another positive sign for green development, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund last week selected 11 renewable energy projects to move forward in the state, including a few local proposals.
A 19.6-megawatt fuel cell project by Elemental Power Group and a 13.7-megawatt fuel cell project by FuelCell Energy, Pure Power, LLC, and Pinpoint Power, LLC, were among the items on the fund’s docket. A 7.9-megawatt fuel cell/turbo expander project in Milford by FuelCell Energy and Enbridge Inc. also made the cut.
The projects will now be recommended to the two electric distribution companies in the state for the next round of competition. The statewide undertaking, dubbed Project 100, aims to develop power plants that use renewable energy sources to generate at least 100 megawatts of electricity in the state by July 2008.
Connecticut Light & Power Co. and The United Illuminating Co. will decide which of these projects, pending approval by state regulators, will win long-term generating contracts. Clean energy production is considered difficult to finance without a long-term commitment.
And with fuel cells taking center stage, the future looks bright. A complicated process that produces no emissions and leaves behind only heat and water, fuel cells promise energy production largely freed from fossil fuels.
The 11 plants could generate enough electricity to power 140,000 or more homes, and the fund expects about 85 megawatts will ultimately be produced by the chosen projects. This sets the plan far along toward its goal, and promises a future in the growing industry for Bridgeport.
Energy security, of course, is about more than just one city. It is in the nation’s best interest to free itself from dependence on foreign sources of fossil fuels, and a push in the other direction ought to be a national priority. But as the industry changes, Bridgeport would do well to stay on the forefront of new technology. There will certainly never be a lack of need.