The new World Trade Center – the Freedom Tower – will run partially on one of the largest fuel cell installations in the world.
The New York Power Authority (NYPA), which is developing the tower, is purchasing $10.6 million of fuel cell equipment from UTC Power to provide 4.8 megawatts of heat and power for the new towers.
"One of the most important building projects in the nation will be equipped with space-age energy technology that uses an electrochemical process to produce clean on-site power," Gov. David Paterson said. "The fuel cells and other measures will help make the new World Trade Center towers an exemplar of environmental sustainability and will signal to the world New York State’s commitment to greater energy security and reduced dependence on foreign oil. I can think of few sites in the country where the symbolism of this is more important."
The buildings at the World Trade Center site will also benefit from wind power-purchase agreements that NYPA reached in late 2006 with two renewable power developers in upstate New York.
"With construction and real estate accounting for more than half of the region’s carbon footprint, making our buildings green is one of the most important steps we can take to preserve our environment-a message we’re driving home at every stage of the World Trade Center project," said Christopher Ward, executive director of the Port Authority.
UTC Power, a unit of United Technologies Corp., was the successful bidder responding to a Request for Proposals that NYPA issued in October 2007 for four 1.2 mw fuel-cell systems for the World Trade Center.
The first of the fuel cells will be delivered to the Freedom Tower in January 2009. It will be owned and operated by the Port Authority, the owner of the building. The fuel cells at the three towers being developed by Silverstein Properties, at 150, 175 and 200 Greenwich St., will be owned and operated by World Trade Center Properties, LLC, an affiliate.
"When 7 World Trade Center opened in 2006, it was the first office tower in city history to achieve official LEED certification as a green building," said Larry A. Silverstein, president and CEO of Silverstein Properties. "We vowed then that each successive World Trade Center tower would also be cutting edge in terms of environmental sustainable design, construction and operation. More broadly, however, these buildings will be part of a new downtown neighborhood that is fast becoming the greenest community in the city with both commercial and residential buildings that are sustainable, as well as new parks and waterfront access, and generous open spaces."
The Port Authority will receive financing for the Freedom Tower fuel cell from NYPA’s energy services program for governmental customers, with the Power Authority recovering its costs over a period of up to 20 years. Funding for the fuel cells slated for 150, 175 and 200 Greenwich will come from the Lower Manhattan Energy Independence Initiative established by the State of New York.
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