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Trumbull town residents send fuel cell away
Fuel Cells, May 12 2010 (The Hydrogen Journal)
- The town of Trumbull, Connecticut, has asked FuelCell Energy to abandon plans to build a 3-4 mW fuel cell in a residential neighbourhood, following complaints from residents.
Legislation was passed on May 5 2010 which asks Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control to consider a modified contract for a new site.
R. Daniel Brdar, FuelCell Energy’s CEO and Chairman, said "We’ve worked hard with the Trumbull delegation and other members of the Legislature to identify a plan supportive of Connecticut’s fuel cell industry and the desires of the Trumbull community."
The original plan was to build a direct fuel cell energy recovery generator at an existing natural gas letdown station, as a way to provide electricity to the grid with reduced carbon dioxide emissions (compared to generating the electricity using coal power).
Local residents were concerned that the fuel cell could be dangerous and also that its water consumption requirements would lead to a reduction in mains water pressure.
The original plan was for the fuel cell to be situated under 150 feet from houses, and it would use up to 13,000 gallons of water a day, says residents' campaigner Keith Klain.
According to reports in the Connecticut Post, local democratic representative Jim Himes said "I appreciate Fuel Cell Energy. They are helping us think about a problem that we have in this country, which is `what does our energy look like going forward?' I think they have come to realize that where that technology goes is pretty critical and where that technology goes can't be in people's backyards."
