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FuelCell Energy Partner Commissions Europe's First High Temperature Fuel Cell Wastewater Treatment Power Plant to Operate on Sewage Gas

Posted on: Monday, 7 November 2005, 09:01 CST

FuelCell Energy's Technology Generating Electricity for Wastewater Plant and Grid Distribution; Heat Byproduct Used in Sewage Treatment and to Warm Buildings

FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of efficient, ultra-clean power generation plants for commercial and industrial customers, announced today that its European partner MTU CFC Solutions GmbH, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler (NYSE:DCX), and RWE Fuel Cells have commissioned a power plant incorporating FuelCell Energy's technology to run a municipal wastewater treatment facility in northeastern Germany.

Plans for the 250-kilowatt facility, first disclosed last year, called for installation of MTU's HotModule(R) power plant. This system combines FCE's efficient and low-emission Direct Fuel Cell(R) (DFC(R)) stacks with MTU's balance of plant design that it manufactures for the European market. Situated at the Municipal Wastewater Treatment Works in Ahlen, Germany, it is the first fuel cell in Europe to operate on anaerobic digester gas.

Using sewage gas produced by the Ahlen facility itself as fuel, the power plant generates electricity to run the wastewater treatment process; any excess power is fed to the grid. The power plant also generates 180 kilowatts of heat byproduct. Ahlen harnesses this energy to operate its digestion tower (where sewage sludge is turned into the gas fuel source), while any remaining thermal energy is used to heat its office and plant buildings there.

The newly operational wastewater treatment plant, one of 10 worldwide in which FuelCell Energy products are involved replaced a combustion engine-driven cogeneration unit.

Industrial and municipal wastewater treatment facilities with anaerobic gas digesters represent an important application of FuelCell Energy's DFC power plants. Methane generated by anaerobic gas digestion is a renewable fuel eligible for government incentive funding for installations around the world. Because fuel in a DFC unit is not burned, it dramatically reduces harmful emissions of gas and particulates while generating firm (24/7) power on site where it is needed.

About FuelCell Energy

FuelCell Energy develops and markets ultra-clean power plants that generate electricity with up to twice the efficiency of conventional fossil fuel plants and with virtually no air pollution. Fuel cells produce base load electricity giving commercial and industrial customers greater control over their power generation economics, reliability and emissions. Emerging state, federal and international regulations to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions consider fuel cell power plants in the same environmentally friendly category as wind and solar energy sources -- with the added advantages of running 24 hours a day and the capacity to be installed where wind turbines or solar panels often cannot. Headquartered in Danbury, Conn., FuelCell Energy services over 40 power plant sites around the globe that have generated more than 78 million kilowatt hours, and conducts R&D on next-generation fuel cell technologies to meet the world's ever-increasing demand for ultra-clean distributed energy. For more information on the company, its products and its worldwide commercial distribution alliances, please see www.fuelcellenergy.com.

Direct FuelCell, DFC and DFC/Turbine are registered trademarks of FuelCell Energy, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The Company's sub-megawatt DFC fuel cell power plant is a collaborative effort combining its Direct FuelCell technology with a Hot Module(R) balance of plant design from MTU CFC Solutions, GmbH, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler.

This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company's plans and expectations regarding the development and commercialization of its fuel cell technology. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that could cause such a difference include, without limitation, the risk that commercial field trials of the Company's products will not occur when anticipated, general risks associated with product development, manufacturing, changes in the utility regulatory environment, potential volatility of energy prices, rapid technological change, and competition, as well as other risks set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Source: Business Wire

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