WASHINGTON - Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) announced that the University of Connecticut’s Global Fuel Cell Center and Connecticut-based United Technologies (UTC) Power received today more than $10 million in research and development grants from the U.S. Department of Energy.  The Global Fuel Cell Center received $1.9 million for research into the effects of impurities on fuel-cell performance and durability.  UTC Power received two awards, of $6.4 million and $2 million, for the development of advanced seals and cathode catalysts for use in fuel cells.  Title VIII of the Energy Policy Act, enacted in August 2005, authorized the Energy Department to award the grants today.

“Connecticut is a pioneer in the advancement of fuel cell technology, which stands to be at the forefront of a new energy policy for the 21^st century,” said Dodd.  “These clean and renewable energy sources can lead to less foreign oil imports, emissions reductions, a cleaner environment and more jobs to spur the economy.  The Administration should be doing everything in its power to provide the federal resources necessary to continue the significant work and research already occurring in this field.  This funding is a small step in what must be a much larger initiative to keep Connecticut and the United States on the cutting edge of energy innovation.”

“As the hub of this country’s advanced fuel-cell industry, Connecticut is benefiting justifiably from the federal funding that last year’s energy bill authorized for fuel-cell development grants and other fuel-cell incentives,” Lieberman said.  “Today’s grants represent just a small fraction of the federal support that Connecticut’s clean-energy research centers and companies stand to receive under that law.  I will continue fighting for federal funds that protect Connecticut jobs while helping to make the U.S. energy independent.”

Fuel cells use hydrogen and oxygen to generate pollution-free electricity (water and heat are the only byproducts).  They can power small portable devices, buildings, and vehicles.  Connecticut is an important hub of the emerging fuel-cell industry.  The state is home to fuel-cell technology companies such as UTC Power, Fuel Cell Energy, and Proton Energy Systems, and the University of Connecticut’s fuel-cell research program is widely respected.

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