The fuel cell, commissioned in February, generated half of the schools' electricity when classes were in session and energy use was high. The fuel cell is expected to meet two-thirds of district power needs when classes aren't in session this summer. The unit has run for about 3,500 hours and generated more than 600 megawatt hours of electricity.

The fuel cell also generates a large amount of clean waste heat, which is used for domestic hot water and for pre-heating boiler water, thus minimizing the use of natural gas for this purpose. The district expects the annual energy savings to approach $100,000.

Because fuel cells operate without combustion, they are virtually pollution-free. An electrochemical device that combines hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to produce electricity, heat and water, fuel cells operate at much higher efficiencies than internal combustion engines, extracting more electricity from the same amount of fuel.

The fuel cell system, which can operate grid-independent, offers more than economic and environmental benefits. Jan van Dokkum, UTC Power president, said, "This UTC Power PureCell system offers the community enhanced energy security. The school district can be a safe haven for residents when weather- related or other events cause grid failure."

The location of the fuel cell on a school campus also presents an excellent opportunity to reap educational value from the project. The director of technology for the district, David Rovitelli, is planning a computer display that will show students, faculty and visitors how the 16-ton device turns hydrogen fuel and oxygen into electricity. The close proximity of the fuel cell to the school cafeteria enables the students to watch the fuel cell in daily operation.

This is not the first instance of a school taking advantage of the educational opportunities afforded by locating a fuel cell on the school campus. South Windsor High School in South Windsor, Conn., which installed a UTC Power PureCell(TM) Model 200 fuel cell system in 2002, offers an annual six-month course titled "Fuel Cell Engineering" that provides students an opportunity to explore clean electrical power production. Students learn how fuel cells use chemical processes to generate electricity by examining and testing a variety of models that use various fuels. Computer-aided design and machining are used as students develop a 3D model and engineering drawings of a fuel cell they will manufacture and test.

The East Rochester School District fuel cell was made possible with the help of an $833,000 New York State Energy Research and Development Authority grant.

UTC Power, based in South Windsor, Conn., is a full-service provider of environmentally advanced power solutions. With nearly 50 years of experience, UTC Power is a world leader in developing and producing fuel cells for on-site power, transportation, space and defense applications, and a developer of innovative combined cooling, heating and power systems for the distributed energy market.