Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 23, 2023 15 Valerie Hoffman, director of service operations at FuelCell Energy, at a 1.4-MW fuel cell at Trinity College. The fuel cell generates electricity for buildings on the school's Hartford campus and provides heat for the athletics center. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER On The Rebound? Pivot to new hydrogen-based technology ignites FuelCell Energy's hiring spree By Andrew Larson alarson@hartfordbusiness.com D anbury-based FuelCell Energy — a closely-watched Connecticut company that received significant state support and was on the brink of bankruptcy less than four years ago — is on a hiring spree as it pivots from legacy natural gas fuel cells to newer, zero-emission technology. "We are just on the ground floor, at the beginning of a signifi- cant energy transition," FuelCell President and CEO Jason Few said in an interview with the Hartford Business Journal. "And that energy transition is going to be enabled by the technologies that we provide." The company, which designs, manufactures, installs, operates and maintains fuel cell power plants on three continents, has more than 220 megawatts (MWs) of generation capacity — enough to power about 220,000 homes. It also operates the largest fuel cell power plant in the United States, a 14.9-MW facility in Bridgeport, and has numerous projects underway. Fuel cells are energy converters that generate electricity from a fuel source, such as natural gas or hydrogen, through a chemical oxidation process. Recently, FuelCell developed a solid oxide fuel cell technology, powered by hydrogen, which is more efficient than the company's older natural gas-powered technology, an industry expert said. While natural gas is considered a low-emission fuel source, it has drawbacks, including that it produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Also, the price of natural gas has spiked amid a tight energy market and supply disruptions from the war in Ukraine. Those are among the reasons why Few said he's bullish about increasing demand for solid oxide fuel cells. Not only does using hydrogen as a fuel source produce zero emis- sions, it's also the most abundant element on the planet and can be reproduced and stored. The only byproduct of hydrogen fuel cells is water. Also, company officials said the solid oxide technology can be produced at scale and is more compact than its natural gas-fired counterpart. Sustainable technologies FuelCell Energy in December began accepting orders for its solid oxide technology, and Trinity College, which has an existing 1.4-MW fuel cell that powers many of its build- ings, has made the first order. The company plans to install the fuel cell, which will produce 250 kilowatts of electricity, on Trinity's Hartford campus by the end of 2023. The energy market has been evolving to prioritize renewable energy, and the cost of hydrogen production has dropped, said Joel Rinebold, director of energy at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology. "We're seeing more and more policy that is favoring low-emission green technologies, sustainable technologies and technologies that support climate control," Rinebold said. "The public wants to see more renewables and zero-carbon, and the industry has been developing technologies that are lower cost and can utilize some of these renewable, zero-carbon technologies to produce energy for consumers." At the end of October 2021, there were 166 operating fuel cell electric power generators at 113 facilities in the United States capable of producing about 260 MW, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. While nascent technology allows hydrogen to be produced without fossil fuels, Rinebold said natural gas is still relatively inexpensive, and he expects it to continue to play a role in energy production. However, hydrogen storage tech- nology will be increasingly important as solar and wind power become more prevalent in the Northeast, he added. During favorable weather conditions, there will be an excess supply of energy — and that surplus can be used to produce hydrogen, which can be stored. "We can store it as long as we want," Rinebold said. "We can move it through pipelines, we can put it in trucks, and then we can utilize that hydrogen and a fuel cell to make electricity, to make heat, and its emissions will be water. Think of it as an energy ecology." Hiring spree In an effort to meet anticipated demand, FuelCell hired more than 200 people over the last 18 months, Few said. He expects the company to hire additional employees as it deploys new technology this year. The company has grown from roughly 300 employees in 2021 to more than 500 today — 400 of whom are based in Connecticut. Also, FuelCell has reopened its Torrington manufacturing facility, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and plans to double the size of its Canadian operation in Calgary, Alberta, Few said. FuelCell has been closely watched in Connecticut, especially after the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) in 2014 announced a major incentive package for the company, making it eligible for up to $20 million in low-in- Jason Few A diagram of a hydrogen-powered fuel cell.

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