Fuel cells rise in bakery

A 1.2 megawatt fuel cell is to be installed at a bakery at Pepperidge Farm in Bloomfield, Connecticut, as part of an initiative supported by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund.

The CCEF will contribute by providing $3.5m of the cost, while power plants manufacturer, FuelCell Energy will produce the fuel cell.

Scheduled to enter operations in the summer of next year, the new fuel cell is expected to supply 57 per cent of the total electrical needs of the bakery, bringing the total electrical power supplied by fuel cells at the farm to 70 per cent. A 250 kilowatt fuel cell was installed at the Pepperidge Farm Bloomfield plant in January 2006.

In addition, the bakery intends to use excess heat from the new fuel cell for baking processes.

‘By using our Ultra-Clean DFC fuel cells, which operate 24/7 with an electrical efficiency of 47% and thermal efficiencies of up to 80%, Pepperidge Farm stands to reduce its power costs while lowering emissions and increasing manufacturing reliability,’ said Richard Shaw, director of Business Development for FuelCell Energy.