DANBURY, CT — A wastewater treatment plant serving Riverside, CA, will install a hydrogen fuel cell to generate electric power for the plant, said a March 8 press release from the fuel cell manufacturer, Danbury-based FuelCell Energy, Inc.
William Karambelas, FuelCell Energy's vice president for business development, was quoted in the release as saying that the company expects the Riverside hydrogen fuel cell to serve as a model for other installations in California that will transition from fossil-fuel generating power plants to cleaner alternatives.
The plant treats 30 million gallons of wastewater daily, and is now powered by three reciprocating engines fueled by anerobic digester gas from the plant. However, the fuel cell, which will also consume the digester gas, will produce power for the plant with no combustion in a way that is "hundreds of times cleaner" in air emissions than conventional power-generating systems, the press release said.
The $4.5 million installation is being funded by California's Self-Generation Incentive Program, through the Southern California Gas Co. The fuel cell will be owned and operated by the Riverside city Public Works Department, according to the release.
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