Fuel cell car wins top honors

CHESHIRE -- An alternative energy proposal offers hope for the financially troubled Cheshire swimming pool, and, perhaps, for other municipal energy needs around the state.
A subsidiary of United Technologies proposes using fuel cells to generate electricity next to the town pool, and use heat produced by the fuel cells to heat the pool at half the cost of conventional sources.

"The fuel cells are right for our pool, not only for Cheshire but for the big picture," Town Councilman Tim White said.

Cheshire is one of 25 municipalities in the state committed to getting 20 percent of its energy from clean sources by 2010.

"This is wonderful timing because in the past few months Cheshire has made energy its priority," Councilwoman Diane Visconti said.

By a 6-1 vote, the project has won the support of the town Energy Commission, the champion of clean energy in Cheshire.

Rich Ogurick, a member of the Energy Commission, said the proposal is the best option the town can get without incurring large capital expenses.

The fuel-cell proposal comes from UTC Power, a division of United Technologies, whose technology is used at a similar energy plant at the Connecticut Juvenile Training Facility in Middletown.

UTC Power Senior Manager Herb Healey said purchase and installation of a single fuel cell can cost upwards of $1 million.

The company is proposing to put five of them at the Cheshire pool.

Healey said the proposal could be revised to put three at the pool and two at nearby Cheshire High School.

The cost for the project and natural gas to run the cells would be absorbed by UTC Power.

The power cells would be placed on the northeast corner of the pool at a 50- by 100-foot parcel, now part of Bartlem Park, or at the school near the cafeteria and girls gym.

Each power cell would be capable of producing 200 kilowatts of energy. The electricity would be sold to Connecticut Light & Power.

The company is proposing a 20-year contract with the town to sell heat from the power cells for needs at the pool and the high school.

"We need to keep our heads above water and be able to make money," said Healey.

The company also plans to apply to the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund's Project 100 fund. Created in 2003, its goal is to put 100 megawatts of clean power into the power grid from sources such as wind, solar, and biomass.

Fuel cell technology has been around for decades. Healey said his company's fuel cells have powered every Apollo mission in space since 1966.

In Connecticut, the technology is no longer a novelty.

St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford is the first hospital in the state to use fuel cells as backup power; Mohegan Sun uses them for the same purpose at its Mohegan Energy, Environment, Economics, and Education Center.

Later this year fuel cells will power one of CT Transit's buses.

Healey, who said two companies compete with UTC Power on fuel cell products, called Connecticut a leader in "the country, if not the world" in fuel cell technology.

Fuel cell technology backers cite its advantages over conventional sources of energy: A fuel cell operates without combustion. Natural gas is not burned, but broken down chemically, making it virtually pollution-free.

Because the gas is broken down in a chemical reaction, a cell uses much less fuel than a combustion chamber to produce the same amount of power, according to the UTC Power Web site.

Each unit uses about 2,000 cubic feet of gas per hour to produce 200 kilowatt-hours of power, enough to power 150 homes, said Healy. "A reasonable size hospital can get all its power from one single unit," he said.

UTC fuel cells provide the main source of energy for the Connecticut Juvenile Training Facility, located on 25 acres in Middletown, with 222,000 square feet of buildings.

Each of the six fuel cells at the facility is 10 ft. wide by 10 ft. high by 18 ft. long -- as big as a large room.

They provides energy, heat and hot water for the facility around the clock.

Cheshire Town Manager Michael Milone said rising energy costs may be one reason why the town council is listening to UTC's pitch.

According to Milone, the town's gas costs rose 86 percent during fiscal year 2005-06. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, the gas bill for the pool came to $179,362. The bill for the 2006-07 fiscal year is expected to be as much as $260,000.

The UTC Power proposal would save the town $130,000 a year, with that number expected to go up as gas prices rise.

"That's why that fuel cell got so much interest last week," Milone said.

The pool is a major point of contention in town. It opened in 2003 with the understanding that it would be financially self-sustaining. However, the town has been subsidizing it at increasing rates.

The subsidy approved for fiscal year 2006-07 is $416,400, up from the current year subsidy of $222,169.

The council has agreed to have the Park and Recreation Commission look into hiring a consultant to tell the town what to do with the pool.

The Town Council is expected to vote on the fuel cell proposal by the end of the month, which will give UTC Power less than three weeks to get a proposal ready by the June 16 deadline for submitting the application to the Clean Energy Fund.

A joint meeting between members of the Town Council and Board of Education is scheduled for May 23 at 7:30 p.m.