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US bakery Pepperidge Farm has installed a 1.2 MW fuel cell power plant at its facility in Connecticut, the largest commercial fuel cell installation in the US, according to company officials.

The installation is the second on the 24,000 m² site, which commissioned its first 250 kW fuel cell from FuelCell Energy in 2006. A $3.5 million grant from Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) helped Pepperidge Farm offset some of the construction costs.

The new fuel cell provides around 57% of the facility’s electricity needs and together with the existing fuel cell meets around 70% of the bakery’s total demand. In addition, excess heat from the fuel cell is used in bakery processes to reduce the need for plant boilers.

FuelCell Energy’s DFC® fuel cells operate at 47% electrical efficiency and when used in combined heat and power applications, as in this case, can reach an overall efficiency of 80%.

“Pepperidge Farm is making excellent use of all the attributes of the fuel cell,” says Lise Dondy, President of CCEF. “Not only are they deriving a significant portion of their required electricity, but they are also effectively utilizing the fuel cell’s thermal output.”

The system should significantly reduce the bakery’s energy costs, while lowering emissions and increasing power reliability, says FuelCell Energy.

For further information:
www.pepperidgefarm.com
www.fuelcellenergy.com
www.ctcleanenergy.com

Photo credit: FuelCell Energy, Inc. DFC1500B Power Plant at Pepperidge Farm Bakery in Bloomfield, Connecticut.