New San Diego Albertsons Using UTC Power Fuel Cell for Nearly 90% of its Electricity

A new Albertsons supermarket in the San Diego, California community of Clairemont is generating nearly 90% of the electricity it needs with a PureCell 400 kW fuel cell from UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp.

The PureCell 400 system uses a Fuel Processor (reformer) to reform natural gas to hydrogen to feed the Fuel Cell Stack.

The project is estimated to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 478 metric tons each year compared to California non-baseload powerplants. The annual nitrogen oxide emissions reduction is equal to removing 82 cars from the roadways per year.

Byproduct heat from the fuel cell process will be captured and used to warm water used in the store, heat the store when necessary and to power a chiller to help cool the refrigerated food, resulting in an overall energy efficiency of approximately 60%, nearly twice the efficiency of the US electrical grid, UTC Power said.

Other environmentally focused amenities situated throughout the Albertsons Clairemont store include:

• Highly efficient LED lighting in the dairy and frozen food doors that reduce energy consumption by more than 50 to 65%.
• Photo sensors in 33 skylights measure the amount of day light from the outdoor sky and adjust the electric light levels accordingly, saving energy.
• Night curtains that are pulled over all open cold cases in the evening to seal in the cool air, and reduce spoilage and energy costs by up to 25%.
• Water-saving faucets and fixtures installed in the restrooms to reduce the amount of water used by more than 45%.

Whole Foods Market is also a supermarket customer of UTC Power, with three stores now equipped with stationary fuel cell power systems.