The Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina's original installation of 1 MW of DFC power generation at its East Tower has been increased by 500 kW with a second installation at its West Tower. The fuel cells will supply base load electricity for the 1,044-room hotel while the heat byproduct will be used for the hotel's pools.

"Increasing the onsite power generation from our DFC power plants at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, our fourth Starwood property in the United States to have its base load power from our ultra-clean fuel cells, clearly demonstrates a repeat customer's confidence in our products for commercial applications," said R. Daniel Brdar, President and COO of FuelCell Energy.

"Managing energy reliability, costs and efficiency are critical components of delivering world class comfort to our customers," said John Lembo, Director of Energy for Starwood Hotels. "FuelCell Energy has proven that the value proposition of its DFC power plants meets our strategic focus -- reducing our energy costs while improving the reliability and cleanliness of power generation at our resorts."

The DFC power plants at the hotel will be installed and operated by Alliance Star Energy, a joint venture between FuelCell Energy and Alliance Power. "Our work with Starwood in California is evidence that fuel cells are demonstrating the benefits that not only help the environment, but also ease the load on the grid and provide the facility with an environmentally friendly way of producing electricity," said James Michael, President of Alliance Power.

The State of California continues to lead the way in supporting fuel cell technology by providing financial and regulatory support. Fuel cell energy is categorized as an "ultra-clean" and low-emission distributed technology, which produces zero emissions during operation or produces emissions that are equal to or less than limits established by the California Air Resources Board.

The San Diego Regional Energy Office, administrator for The California Public Utilities Commission's Self-Generation Incentive Program for the San Diego area, is expected to issue a reservation letter that will provide incentive funding of up to $1.25 million of eligible project costs to the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina West Tower DFC power plant installation.

Attributes of FuelCell Energy's DFC power plants include favorable emissions profile, lower operating and maintenance costs, and improved reliability.