A fuel cell would allow the district to generate its own electrical power and make the campus an emergency shelter for the community during extended power outages, said East Rochester Superintendent Howard Maffucci.

East Rochester would be the first school district in the area to install a fuel cell; it's similar to one used in the Liverpool School District in Onondaga County.

The project will cost about $2.5 million. Michael Mamo, assistant superintendent for business, secured a $1 million New York State Energy Research and Development Authority grant. The rest will come from the district's capital-reserve fund, Mamo said. There will be no increase in taxes.

The project would save the district about $100,000 each year in utility costs, Maffucci said. Eventually, the district may even be able to sell off extra energy.

Maffucci called the fuel cell "a very exciting project."

"It looks like a very promising technology," he said.

The fuel cell, enclosed in a brick structure measuring about 28 feet by 31 feet, would be installed in an outdoor courtyard, allowing people and students to see it operate and study its electrical output, Mamo said.

Although fuel cell technology is already addressed within the district's science curriculum, having the fuel cell on-site will help bring the concept to life. Students will see that it has "real world application," Mamo said.

"We are trying to ... be environmentally conscious as well as provide a core education for students," Mamo said.