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Cleaner, more efficient electricity is coming to Legrand, North America’s headquarters in West Hartford, Conn., as the company announced the installation of a 500-kilowatt (kW), solid-oxide fuel cell system. ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR was there on Apr. 18 to see the unveiling of this system that is expected to produce up to 88 percent of the electricity on the complex (based on 2015 total kwh usage), adding up to 190K in annual energy savings.
Legrand, an international leader in electrical and digital infrastructure solutions, has made great progress in reducing its carbon footprint in its United States facilities in recent years. The Bloom Energy fuel cell—installed with help from McPhee Electric—will reduce harmful CO2 emissions by 50 percent.
The West Hartford headquarters is also a manufacuring site for Legrand's Wiremold and Pass & Seymour product lines.
“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,” according to a Legrand press release. “The cells require sand-like powder instead of precious metals, which cost much less and conversion from fuel to electricity happens at twice the rate of conventional technologies.”
After weighing several alternative energy options, Legrand decided on the fuel cell because of its dependability. For instance, the company decided against exploring solar because of the reliance on the weather. This fuel cell, which took 20 days to install, will provide a constant output of power no matter the weather conditions.
As part of the unveiling, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR took a tour of Legrand, North America’s facilities and learned more about the company’s latest technologies and sustainability initiatives. The event included remarks from John Selldorff, CEO of Legrand North & Central America; Susan Rochford, VP, Energy Efficiency, Sustainability & Public Policy; Ravi Ramanathan, VP and General Manager, Wiremold; and Scott Slifka, West Hartford, Conn., mayor, and Shari Cantor, deputy mayor.
Various photos from the tour are available above.
About The Author
Matthew Kraus was formerly the director of communications at NECA and senior editor of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR for five years. He can be reached at [email protected].
