One of the First Residential Power Plants in America Comes to Coachella Valley

PALM SPRINGS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This evening, Jackie Autry, the former owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and widow of singer, actor and businessman Gene Autry, hosted elected officials, city planners, sustainability managers, architects, utility executives and thought leaders to showcase the fuel cells from ClearEdge Power currently providing both heat and power to her Coachella Valley home. The ClearEdge5 fuel cell is the first of its kind to be developed for residential use.

“This installation is a great example of how fuel cells can soon be commonplace at home – much like rooftop solar panels have become”

“People live in Palm Springs because of its beauty,” said ClearEdge Power President and CEO Russell Ford, “but when the weather heats up, residents want to be able to cool down without straining the environment around them. With the ClearEdge5, homeowners and business owners can power their homes and businesses while reducing their environmental impact. We are pleased to do our part to help residents keep Palm Springs beautiful.”

Since the adoption of this technology for residential use by pioneers like Autry, almost 30 additional Palm Springs area homeowners have also purchased the system. The ClearEdge5 energy appliance is eligible for $17,500 in financial incentives, including utility rebates and federal tax credits. Such incentives, combined with the up to 50 percent savings homeowners can experience with the ClearEdge5 fuel cell, translates into a four- to six-year return on investment, on average. In addition to the cost savings, homeowners can also reduce their carbon emissions by one-third. For environmentally minded homeowners like Autry, this was the strongest selling point.

“My ClearEdge Power fuel cell system will reduce the same amount of carbon emissions in a year as if I’d planted six acres of trees in my backyard,” said Autry. “So I’m getting the power I need, and I’m reducing my impact on the environment. It’s a home run.”

The ClearEdge Power five-kilowatt combined heat and power stationary fuel cell uses a chemical process to constantly convert natural gas into electricity and heat around the clock, regardless of weather conditions. It is 11 times more productive than comparable solar solutions and only requires 35 square feet for installation and service. It can be located indoors or outdoors and incorporates robust system for monitoring performance over a standard IP connection.

The ability for homes and businesses to generate their power at the point of use – in essence turning their home or business into their very own power plant – has been an appealing prospect to several utilities searching for ways to expand their clean energy portfolio, prevent brown- and black-outs for their customers and invest in the smart grid of the future, have found fuel cells like the ClearEdge5 an ideal solution for their customers. Southern California Gas Company, for example, who has a long history with fuel cells, announced a $1 million investment in ClearEdge Power earlier this year. The utility, which provides 20.9 million consumers in more than 500 communities with safe and reliable natural gas, has funded fuel cell research since the 1970s. It also co-founded the National Fuel Cell Research Center at UC Irvine.

“This installation is a great example of how fuel cells can soon be commonplace at home – much like rooftop solar panels have become,” said Hal D. Snyder, vice president of customer solutions for Southern California Gas Company. “We believe fuel cells, powered by clean natural gas, will play a pivotal role in the sustainable energy future of California, the nation, and offer the promise to be a key element of the evolving smart energy network. Fuel cells are among a number of clean and green energy solutions that we are helping to develop through our technology and market development programs that will benefit our customers and help to build vibrant clean-energy markets.”

About ClearEdge Power

ClearEdge Power is a global, privately held, technology company leading the way for smarter, cleaner on-site energy systems focused on commercial, institutional and residential buildings. The company designs, manufactures and markets the ClearEdge5 system, a proven fuel cell appliance that cleanly converts natural gas to electricity and heat, offering both significant financial and energy savings, as well as a greatly reduced impact on the global environment. The ClearEdge Power corporate management systems are certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. For more information, please visit us online at ClearEdgePower.com.