The energy-saving fuel cell will operate along with the existing on-site Bronx Zoo power facility and with the Con Edison power grid, reducing electrical demand to the Lion House by 200 kilowatts. It will also provide a high rate of thermal energy for heating.

“The Power Authority is proud to be part of this important new exhibit at the Bronx Zoo,” said Roger B. Kelley, NYPA president and chief executive officer. “The clean, virtually emission-free, power and heat generated by the fuel cell will allow the zoo to meet its growing power needs deriving from the new exhibit and offset the need for a more expensive process for bringing power to the location.”

In 2006, the Lion House received the New York City Green Building Award by the New York City Department of Environment Protection. Additionally, the structure will have the distinction of being the first landmark building in New York City anticipated to receive the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (green certification).

To date, NYPA has installed 15 fuel cells in New York City and other locations and has recently reached an agreement to install 12 fuel cells in the redeveloped World Trade Center, making it the site of one of the largest fuel cell installations in the world.

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NYPA Gives Bronx Zoo a Clean Energy Boost

The Bronx Zoo is giving its historic Lion House a major makeover, from head to tail. When the building reopens in 2008 as a home for lemurs and other wildlife of the island nation of Madagascar, it will feature gushing waterfalls, desert cactuses, and a lush rain forest—all supported by a clean-energy fuel cell. The restored Lion House will be New York City’s first landmark building certified “green” by the U.S. Green Building Counsel.

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is providing the newly installed clean and efficient energy source. NYPA President and CEO Timothy S. Carey also made a generous donation for the care and feeding of lemurs in the future exhibit. As a down payment on the pledge, Carey presented Sue Chin, Wildlife Conservation Society director of planning and design, with a bouquet of fresh, young leaves—one of lemurs’ favorite foods (but not Sue’s). The Bronx Zoo is the second WCS park to benefit from a clean-energy fuel cell power plant. An identical unit is supplying electricity to critical support systems at the New York Aquarium.

Along the Madagascar! exhibit trail, Bronx Zoo visitors will stroll by several different types of lemurs in recreations of their native habitats. At a safe distance, the predatory fossa, with its dog’s snout and puma-like body, will prowl a forested area. A Nile crocodile will lurk at the base of a cave, and a wall of hissing cockroaches will fascinate less squeamish visitors. The exhibit will also feature the colorful array of lizards and frogs that reside on the island’s forest floors and trees. Each animal and environment highlighted will depict the work of WCS to preserve Madagascar’s natural treasures.