The approved FuelCell Energy projects include nine DFC3000 power plants:
- A 3.4 MW Direct FuelCell-Energy Recovery Generation (DFC-ERG) system for a natural gas letdown station in Bloomfield;
- a 3.2 MW Direct FuelCell/Turbine (DFC/T) system for a substation in Danbury;
- a 14.3 MW DFC3000 in Bridgeport;
- a 3.2 MW DFC-ERG in Trumbull;
- and a 3.2 MW DFC-ERG in Glastonbury.
The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) recommended the five projects under Round 3 of ‘Project 150’, which requires Connecticut utilities to enter into Energy Purchase Agreements for 150 MW of clean power. With this latest approval, the DPUC will have approved 153 MW of projects, including 43.5 MW of FuelCell Energy power plants.
Connecticut is one of 28 states (and Washington, DC) that have Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs). Under Connecticut’s RPS, utilities are required to purchase 27% or approximately 1000 MW of their power from clean energy sources by 2020. Fuel cells are an ideal part of the clean energy solution for RPS states because they provide reliable baseload power 24 hours a day, with near-zero emissions and low CO2.