Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy joined officials from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) and CTTRANSIT to dedicate the United Technologies Company (UTC) stationary fuel cell that is providing CTTRANSIT's Hartford bus maintenance and storage facility with clean and reliable power.
The Governor also announced a $5.7 million Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant for the planning, purchase and installation of similar technology at the New Haven bus maintenance and storage facility.
"This transition to clean power at the Hartford transit facility will save taxpayers more than a half million dollars in annual utility costs, as well as removing harmful pollutants from our air," said Gov. Malloy. "Cleaner, cheaper, more reliable energy is very clearly the future of power, and Connecticut is uniquely positioned to be a world leader in fuel cell technology. Promoting lower energy costs, cleaner air, and statewide economic growth is right in line with our overall energy strategy and directly benefits Connecticut's renewable energy sector.”
The fuel cell, manufactured by UTC Power of Connecticut, was installed in August and provides 400 kilowatts to the 333,000 square foot Hartford facility — 77% of the building's power. In addition to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 827 metric tons and lowering nitrogen oxide emissions to the equivalent of removing more than 100 cars from the road, the system will also save nearly 3.6 million gallons of water each year.
The project was funded by a $5.2 million grant from the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) Program through the U.S. Federal Transit Administration. The 400 kilowatt fuel cell for the New Haven project will also be funded by a $5.7 million TIGGER grant.
CTTRANSIT operates a fleet of three zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell buses powered by Connecticut-made UTC Power fuel cells. The state is a leader in zero-emission technology that will help make fuel cell power commercially viable for the transit industry nationwide.