State Ponders Fuel Cells for Metro North

February 9 , 2007

Mark Ginocchio
Staff Writer

The State Department of Transportation is studying how fuel-cell technology could be used to power trains and stations on Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line.

The DOT wants to determine whether a fuel-cell power station could replace some of the electric substations now used, taking the strain off Fairfield County's power grid.

"We already know that fuel cells can generate power," said Rick Strauss, executive director of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, the group conducting the study. "What we need to figure out is if it makes sense for the state."

The $64,000 study was mandated by the legislature when it approved a $2.3 billion transportation package last year, Strauss said.

Money for the study was allocated by the state bond commission last month.

The study team will include representatives of Metro-North Railroad, Connecticut Light & Power, and LOGANEnergy^® Corp., a Roswell, Ga.-based group that has designed and installed fuel-cell power systems in other parts of the country, Strauss said.

The state spent about $50 million to power the New Haven Line in 2004, according to the most recent numbers provided by the DOT. The rail system is one of Connecticut Light & Power's biggest customers, officials have said.

Fuel-cell technology relies on hydrogen-created electricity. A Fuel Cell does not run down or require charging and will produce power as long as some kind of fuel and an oxidizer are supplied.

For the New Haven Line, the state will study using natural gas to power the Fuel Cell, Strauss said.

If the New Haven Line were to have fuel-cell power, it would become the second transportation system in the state to use the technology.

Last year, CTTransit secured $2.4 million in federal funds to develop the Northeast's first hydrogen fuel-cell bus for the Hartford division.

CTTransit will unveil the bus in April, said Stephen Warren, assistant general manager for maintenance services for the state-operated bus company. Employees and mechanics are being trained to use the bus, which will be stored and recharged at UTC Power in South Windsor, a company that manufactures fuel-cell modules for cars and buses, Warren said.

Environmentalists praised CTTransit's announcement last year because the fuel-cell vehicle produces no emissions.

Rail advocates said bringing the technology to the New Haven Line could be worthwhile.

"Anything we can do to take the burden off the grid might be an important service," said Jim Cameron, chairman of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council.

Using fuel-cell power could improve service because those trains may not have to reduce voltage during high demand on the grid, Cameron said.
Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.

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