The town of Colchester, Connecticut and Bloom Energy are deploying of 10 MW of energy efficient fuel cells at a local substation to help meet the clean energy needs of the community.
The Bloom Energy Servers will cut community carbon emissions by 3,850 tons per year and reduce smog-forming pollution and particulate matter by over 99 percent in comparison to current displaced grid alternatives.
Bloom Energy’s fuel flexible, solid oxide fuel cell technology produces electricity from natural gas, biogas, or hydrogen through an electrochemical process, without combustion.
This project aligns with the State of Connecticut’s efforts to increase clean and renewable energy sources. The Bloom Energy installation in Colchester was selected as part of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) Clean Energy Request for Proposals. In addition to fuel cell adoption, other selected projects included offshore wind and anaerobic digestion.
“We are environmental stewards of this land and of our planet,” said Mary Bylone, first selectman of the Town of Colchester. “Implementing clean energy solutions, such as Bloom Energy Servers, aligns with our dedication to our land, wildlife, and the future generations of our community.”
“We are focused on helping communities reduce emissions, build energy resilience, and meet their sustainability goals, through our distributed, always-on, non-combustion process of generating clean electricity,” said Kris Kim, vice president of global commercial operations, Bloom Energy. "We are proud to support the town of Colchester and the state of Connecticut in the pursuit of a clean energy future that will drive positive environmental impact and support the health of local citizens.”
The fuel cell installation is located at a local substation for targeted local power generation capacity. This deployment in Colchester has been made possible through a long-term purchase agreement with energy providers Eversource and United Illuminating.