UTC Power fuel cell fleet attains 8 million hours of operation

[jpak]

http://sev.prnewswire.com/oil-energy/20070329/CLTH16629032007-1.html

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., March 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company, announced today that its stationary power fuel cell fleet has reached a major milestone -- 8 million hours of field operation. A UTC Power PureCell(TM) Model 200 system installed at the Central Park police station in New York City achieved fleet-leader status, delivering more than 62,000 operating hours with its original fuel cell stack before a recent overhaul.

UTC Power has installed 260 stationary fuel cell power plants for customers in 19 countries on five continents. Its PureCell system produces 200 kilowatts of electric power plus about 870,000 Btu/hour of heat for combined heat and power applications. The company is now developing a next-generation phosphoric acid fuel cell stack for commercial on-site power applications that will deliver a 10-year operating life, 400 kilowatts of power and more than 1.6 million Btu/hr of thermal output for combined heat and power applications.

"For on-site power applications, the UTC Power PureCell phosphoric acid system is the demonstrated leader in durability," said Jan van Dokkum, UTC Power president. "No other company can come close to matching our 8 million hours of operation."

UTC Power's PureCell system meets the strictest emissions standards in the United States, namely those established by the California Air Resources Board for 2007. Hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air are combined in the fuel cell to produce electricity, heat and water. When used in combined heat and power applications, fuel cells can perform at nearly three times the energy efficiency of the electrical grid.

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