DANBURY, Conn., Dec. 11, 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, today announced a significant operating milestone with the generation of three billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of ultra-clean and renewable electricity produced by Direct FuelCell® (DFC)® power plants since the first commercial installation in 2003. FuelCell Energy has customers in nine countries in North America, Asia and Europe and three billion kWh of electricity is adequate to power approximately 271,000 U.S. homes for one year; comparable to about 679,000 German homes or 837,000 South Korean homes.
"Reaching this level of power output is recognition that our affordable and clean distributed power generation solutions are meeting customer needs," said Chip Bottone, Chief Executive Officer, FuelCell Energy, Inc. "The installed base of operating fuel cell power plants has doubled in two years as our broad range of global customers recognize the advantages of multi-megawatt fuel cell parks, including a 15 megawatt fuel cell park operating in North America and a 59 megawatt fuel cell park operating in South Korea, the world's largest."
Fuel cell power plants generate electricity and heat cleanly and efficiently. Utilizing an electro-chemical process, power is generated in a manner that is virtually absent of criteria pollutants including nitrogen oxide (NOx) that causes smog, sulfur dioxide (SOx) that contributes to acid rain, and particulate matter (PM10) that can aggravate asthma. Additionally, the high efficiency of the power generation minimizes carbon emissions. Compared to the average U.S. fossil-fuel power plant, 3 billion kWh of ultra-clean fuel cell power generation avoids the emission of approximately 25,600 tons of these criteria pollutants as well as approximately 1.9 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, which is equivalent to the carbon sequestered by about 1.4 million acres of U.S. forest. This land area is larger than the State of Rhode Island and almost as large as the State of Delaware.
"Quiet operation, virtual absence of pollutants, and modest space requirements make fuel cell power plants easy to locate in high-density urban areas to provide clean on-site power or next to electrical substations to enhance the resiliency of the electric grid," continued Mr. Bottone.
The stationary fuel cell power plants manufactured by FuelCell Energy are fuel flexible, capable of operating on clean natural gas, on-site renewable biogas, or directed biogas. These megawatt-class power plants are scalable for multi-megawatt applications with large power users or electric grid support. The power plants provide continuous power that is not dependent on the weather or time of day.
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 three billion kilowatt hours of ultra-clean power using a variety of fuels including clean natural gas as well as renewable biogas from wastewater treatment and food processing. 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.