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ABSTRACT
The 2004 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in downtown Boston presented an energy challenge. The large, attendant media presence required a great deal of additional power for temporary studios, satellite up-links, etc., that could not be supplied by the constrained electric utility infrastructure.
To meet this need, an independent micro grid was constructed consisting of two rail-mounted diesel-generators and a trailer-mounted fuel cell power plant. The fuel cell was a DFC300 produced by FuelCell Energy, Inc. The DFC300 is a 250 kW rated power plant, capable of both grid connected and grid independent operation. The DNC micro grid represented the first application in which the DFC300 operated in parallel with diesel generators independent of the electric utility grid.
In addition to explaining the fuel cell power plant operating modes, this article describes the specific planning, challenges and operating results of the unit in the DNC micro grid. It will also examine the potential benefits of fuel cells in future micro grid applications.