The world’s largest fuel cell park could be built in Connecticut. The park, which would occupy eight acres in Beacon Falls, would produce 63 megawatts of power, making it four megawatts bigger than the world’s current largest installation, near Seoul, South Korea.
It would be four times the size of what is now the biggest park in Connecticut, in Bridgeport. That park, which supplies 15 megawatts, was opened at the end of 2013.
The proposed new park would be owned and developed by CT Energy and Technology, and the fuel cells would be built by Fuel Cell Energy, based in Danbury.
The site chosen is a former sand mine in a site owned by O&G Industries, a construction company, which would also be a partner in the development.
Fuel Cell Energy CEO Chip Bottone said the plant could supply enough energy to power 63,000 homes.
"The baseload power that comes out of these plants, obviously, is clean," Bottone told WNPR. "From the city's perspective, it generates about $70 million in tax revenue over a 20-year period. There's another $25 million in tax revenue that would go to the state."
The plant would also contribute about ten percent of the state's renewable power goals for 2016.
Fuel cells produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen to make water. They’re usually fueled by natural gas.
