Features Operations & Management
New Legrand fuel cell to provide 88% of electricity at West Hartford HQ

Jun. 10, 2016 – The recent installation of a 500kW, solid-oxide fuel cell system at Legrand’s North American headquarters in West Hartford, Conn., promises to provide “cleaner and more efficient power” to the facility.

According to Legrand, the fuel cell will sit adjacent to its corporate offices and Wiremold manufacturing facility, and is expected to produce up to 88 per cent of the electricity to every building on its 263,000-sq.-ft., 100-year-old campus. This translates to a 21-per-cent reduction in energy intensity and about a 50-per-cent reduction in CO2 emissions, it explains, noting that at system capacity, the net savings will be roughly $2.4 million in the first decade.

“Solid oxide fuel cells are electromechanical devices that convert the chemical energy of fuel and an oxidant directly into electrical energy without combustion taking place, for an energy source with a much lower environmental impact compared to legacy power systems,” explains Legrand, adding that conversion from fuel to electricity “happens at twice the rate” of conventional technologies.

Five years ago, Legrand committed to reducing its energy intensity by 25 per cent in 10 years at 14 of its U.S. facilities. Since then, the company says it has met its goal and has subsequently committed to achieving another 25 per cent total reduction across all of its North American facilities by 2022.

“Our sustainability initiatives reach beyond our operational footprint,” said John Selldorff, CEO of Legrand, North and Central America. “Legrand is also very focused on delivering solutions for our customers that enable high-performance buildings to reach exceptional levels of efficiency, productivity — and equally high sustainability standards.”