Brews up Environmentally Friendly Fuel Cell Electricity

Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., pioneer of the craft brewing industry and brewers of award-winning beers since 1981, today joined officials from three participating companies to dedicate a one-megawatt (1 MW) fuel cell power plant that is the largest commercial high-temperature fuel cell installation in the state and is classified as an Ultra-Clean technology under California law.

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Designed to create energy without combustion, the 1 MW power plant consists of four 250-kilowatt Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) power plants from FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL). Its waste heat will be harvested in the form of steam and used for the brewing process as well as other heating needs. One MW of electricity (equivalent to the power needed to support approximately 500-1000 homes for a year) will supply essentially 100 percent of the brewery's base load power requirements. With this power plant, Sierra Nevada not only lowers its overall energy costs but also eliminates air pollutant emissions equivalent to removing 500 gasoline-powered cars from the road every year. When the fuel cells generate more power than the brewery requires, Sierra Nevada sends excess electricity back to the grid system and receives credit for a portion of its generation costs.

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