Cox Communications Partners with UTC Power to Install Fuel Cells in California

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., Feb. 7, 2011/PRNewswire/ -- UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company, today announced that Cox Communications, Inc., has installed four of its new generation 400 kilowatt stationary fuel cells at Cox facilities in San Diego and Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110207/NE43479 )

UTC Power installed and will service the PureCell® System Model 400 units at a Cox Communications administrative building, a master telecommunications center and data center.  All are powered by a blend of biogas and natural gas.

Fuel cells are one of the cleanest energy-generation sources available and meet the strictest U.S. emission standards.  Highly energy-efficient, fuel cells produce electricity, heat and water through an electrochemical process.

"This is a significant partnership for us with a nationally recognized cable and communications leader," said Neal Montany, director of UTC Power's stationary fuel cell business. "We're very pleased that Cox Communications chose our proven phosphoric acid fuel cell technology to provide clean, baseload power for their California facilities."

Since the early 1990s, UTC Power has designed, manufactured and installed more than 300 stationary fuel cell power plants at diverse locations worldwide, including educational institutions, hotels, hospitals, supermarkets and data centers. Its fleet has accumulated more than 9 million operating hours, unmatched in the industry.  The 80,000-hour durability of the phosphoric acid cell stacks, the heart of the 400kW system, is twice the durability of the previous generation and three to four times more durable than other competing commercial fuel cell technologies.

The installations at the Cox Communications sites qualified for incentives under the California Public Utility Commission's Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), which provides incentives to support existing, new and emerging distributed energy resources.  

The PureCell Model 400 can provide up to 400 kW of assured electrical power, plus 1.7 million Btu/hour of heat for combined heat and power applications.  In a combined heat and power application, the phosphoric acid fuel cell can achieve 90 percent total system efficiency.  The fuel cell is also capable of following the electrical demand of the host site or providing electricity to the grid.  

Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company, providing advanced digital video, Internet, telephone and wireless services over its own nationwide IP network. The third-largest U.S. cable TV company, Cox serves more than 6 million residences and businesses.

UTC Power is part of United Technologies Corp. (UTC), which provides energy-efficient products and services to the aerospace and building industries.  UTC is a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index each year since it was launched in 1999.  Based in South Windsor, Conn., UTC Power is the world leader in developing and producing fuel cells that generate power for buildings and for transportation, space and defense applications.  For more information, please visit www.utcpower.com

SOURCE UTC Power