New Haven’s Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy has thrown the switch on 400-kilowatt fuel cell from UTC Power, becoming the first school in the state to rely on this alternative energy source, WTNH.com reports.
The fuel cell will meet nearly all the buildings electric needs for space heating and domestic hot water. And when the nearby Central Music Academy is complete, it too will plug in.
“We’re running cleaner, running greener, running more sustainable than ever,” said Will Clark, chief operating officer for New Haven Public Schools.
This may be the first school to use a fuel cell, but there are other public and private buildings in the city already using the technology to power offices and apartments.
“We’re particularly excited about New Haven, which seems to be the hotbed of fuel cell usage in Connecticut,” Mike Brown from UTC Power said.
The fuel cell will have to operate for ten years before the school system will see a two million dollar a year savings in power costs.
