FoodLogistics.com |

Bloomfield, CT: Pepperidge Farm will soon be installing a 1.2 MW fuel cell at the company’s Bloomfield, CT, bakery. This is the second fuel cell to be installed at the 260,000-square-foot plant. A smaller, 250-kilowatt fuel cell was installed in January 2006. When it begins operating sometime in 2008, the new fuel cell will supply about 57 percent of the total electrical needs for the bakery. Combined, both fuel cells are slated to provide about 70 percent of the electricity needed to manufacture Pepperidge Farms’s breads and rolls. Interestingly all the excess heat generated by the new fuel cell will be used in the actual bakery process, thereby reducing the overall energy requirements for the plant.

The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), a ratepayer fund administered by Connecticut Innovations will provide $3.5 million of the cost. The 1.2 megawatt fuel cell will be manufactured by FuelCell Energy, a Danbury, CT manufacturer of ultra-clean power plants for commercial, industrial and utility customers.

“Pepperidge Farm is making excellent use of all the attributes of the fuel cell,” says Lise Dondy, president of CCEF. “Not only are they deriving a significant portion of their required electricity from this fuel cell, but they are also effectively utilizing the fuel cell’s thermal output to enjoy the added benefit of being able to operate with less dependence on the grid.”

“By using our ultra-clean DFC fuel cells, which operate 24/7, with an electrical efficiency of 47 percent and thermal efficiencies of up to 80 percent, Pepperidge Farm stands to reduce its power costs while lowering emissions and increasing manufacturing reliability,” explains Richard Shaw, director, business development for FuelCell Energy. “When a customer like Pepperidge Farm signals its satisfaction by substantially expanding its investment in FuelCell Energy power plants, it can serve as a model for others.”

“We are very pleased to be making this investment in our plant and in the environmental welfare of Connecticut, the home state of Pepperidge Farm,” says Robert Furbee, Pepperidge Farm senior vice president, operations. “It is not only a great business initiative but also a great partnership among Connecticut entities committed to pursuing clean, alternative energy sources for the state.”