The LADWP Zoo Fuel Cell Power Plant produces 200 kilowatts (kW) of highly efficient and clean hydrogen-fueled electricity -- enough electricity to power 250 homes -- and marks the fourth fuel cell in LADWP's award-winning Fuel Cell Demonstration Program.

Thanks to its highly visible location adjacent to the Los Angeles Zoo, the brightly painted facility is designed to attract and educate the public about fuel cells as an emerging clean, efficient and reliable energy technology. As an additional benefit, through a partnering agreement, LADWP and the LA Zoo have collaborated to restore the surrounding native plant garden with walking paths to provide access to the facility and for public benefit.

"It's wonderful to be here this morning to dedicate this clean, quiet, efficient and reliable cutting-edge fuel cell power facility. I want also to congratulate the Department of Water and Power on making this such an interesting educational facility that explains how this technology works," Councilmember LaBonge stated. "I also congratulate the L.A. Zoo and LADWP for creating this beautiful native plant garden and walking paths for the public to access the fuel cell facility."

Among other benefits, fuel cell power is significantly cleaner than the average U.S. fossil fuel power plant. Based on annual usage, each 200 kW fuel cell power plant reduces the following levels of pollutants by:

-- 900,000 pounds of carbon dioxide;

-- 8,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide; and,

-- 18,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide.

Preventing this amount of pollution is the same as:

-- Eliminating 100 cars from the road; and,

-- Planting 120 acres of trees.

Fuel cells and other types of distributed generation (DG) help to relieve the daily strain on the system and to maintain the quality of power when the grid is loaded down. "By generating power near the load, DG also helps save money by reducing pressure on our infrastructure while providing for increased reliability," said LADWP General Manager Ron Deaton.

Additionally, fuel cells and other DG, demand side energy and energy efficiency programs are a key part of LADWP's long-term plans to meet the City's energy needs, and will help the City achieve 20 percent of retail energy sales through renewable energy by 2010, said David Nahai, vice president of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners. "We view fuel cells and other types of distributed generation as helping to lessen our energy load and thus reduce our reliance on fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases such as coal and natural gas," Nahai said.

The LADWP Zoo Fuel Cell was manufactured by United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn. The initial purchase and installation cost approximately $1.4 million. The relocation and re-commissioning of the fuel cell at the Los Angeles Zoo cost approximately $600,000.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation's largest municipal utility, provides reliable, low-cost water and power services to the City's four million residents in an environmentally responsible manner.