Verizon is now operating the largest fuel cell project of its kind in the country – supplying electric power at a large call-switching center and office building here.
The seven fuel cells, built by UTC Power, in addition to being environmentally responsible, will provide another layer of network reliability in the event of a disaster.
Verizon’s Garden City project is unique because the existing commercial power grid, the new fuel cells and existing Verizon backup power work together to meet any set of operational needs required at the building. They include electrical backup for commercial power outages, natural disasters and periods of peak commercial power demands.
Major funding for the project was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Verizon also expects to receive some funding from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
“As part of the President’s plan to modernize the electric grid, it is critical to demonstrate technologies which add reliability and resiliency to the grid,” said Kevin Kolevar, director of DOE’s Office of Electricity Reliability and Energy Security. “The same is true of our telecommunications infrastructure. Upgrading both systems concurrently can mean efficiency gains for both business and the consumer.”
Verizon has installed seven fuel cells, each capable of generating 200 kilowatts of electrical power per hour, or enough power to supply the energy needs of about 400 single-family households. By using electricity from the fuel cells and reclaiming the heat and water they produce to help heat and cool the building, Verizon is eliminating some 11.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide that would have been emitted into the atmosphere by a similar-sized fossil-fuel based power plant during one year.
The project is expected to save Verizon some $250,000 annually in commercial power costs.
The new fuel cells will use natural gas piped in from local gas company Keyspan to obtain the hydrogen atoms for the chemical process. The natural gas is not burned. Instead, the hydrogen atoms are detached from the gas as it is fed into each of the seven cells, and then combined with oxygen atoms from the air to generate direct current electrical power. Heat and water is then vented from each cell, and direct current is converted to alternating current electricity for use in the building.
The Verizon central switching office in the building provides local, long-distance and data services over about 35,000 phone lines in the area. In addition, the building houses some of the company’s administrative offices and one of Verizon’s regional Network Surveillance Operations Centers (NSOC). These centers monitor and control traffic on parts of the Verizon nationwide network.
Loading...