mobanmarketSTORRS, CT — The UConn Tech Park will soon be powered exclusively by clean energy, the result of a partnership between the university and Danbury-based FuelCell Energy, officials said this week.
At the Innovation Partnership Building at the Tech Park, UConn and Fuel Cell Energy are teaming up to install four 250-kilowatt solid oxide fuel cells that can generate 1 megawatt of power.
“This valuable partnership will help UConn to accomplish two critical goals — utilizing clean and sustainable energy sources to power our campuses as we work toward our carbon neutrality goals, while at the same time providing research and learning opportunities for members of our campus community,” UConn President Radenka Maric said.
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Maric, world-renowned expert in clean energy engineering, added, “Ensuring that UConn is as sustainable as possible and supporting research and innovation in the clean energy field is one of the great challenges of our lifetimes.”
The fuel cells will generate enough energy to supply all the Tech Park’s advanced technology laboratories, centers, and institutes. The cells are designed to produce energy without combustion, thus generating electricity that is much cleaner than carbon-based sources.
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FuelCell Energy said it would complete the project in two phases. After the second phase is done, the system will be integrated into a building microgrid, officials said.
Unused power will be exported to the Eversource power grid, according to FuelCell Energy.
The units will be configured to operate in a combined heat and power mode, allowing the University to integrate thermal energy recovery into an existing system within the building.
UConn researchers will collect data from the fuel cell, analyzing efficiency, cleanliness, and other factors. FuelCell Energy will also provide educational experiences for UConn faculty and students, including lectures, facility tours, and internships.
“We are excited to work with UConn to support its Innovation Partnership Building and 2030 carbon-neutral goal, and we are proud that our home state school’s leadership in sustainable energy study and adoption,” FuelCell Energy President and CEO Jason Few said.
Maric has pledged that UConn will become carbon neutral by 2030 and net carbon zero by 2040.
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