UC San Diego is setting a national precedent with the installation of a 2.8-megawatt fuel cell, the largest on any university campus in the United States. Scheduled for completion in late 2011, the system will supply roughly 8% of campus electricity and integrate with the university’s advanced microgrid for peak demand energy storage and building cooling.

Fueled by methane biogas from the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant, the fuel cell will convert waste into clean electricity using a non-combustion electrochemical process, reducing harmful pollutants and offsetting the equivalent of emissions from over 1,100 vehicles annually.

The $19 million project is funded through a combination of $7.65 million in incentives from California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) and $11.35 million in private investment, loans, and tax credits arranged by BioFuels Energy, LLC.

By integrating the fuel cell into its microgrid alongside solar and natural gas co-generation, UC San Diego is building one of the most sophisticated campus energy systems in the world, setting a model for resilient, clean, and self-sustaining energy infrastructure in higher education.

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https://sdnews.com/fuel-cell-at-ucsd-will-be-the-largest-on-any-university-campus/