FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Palace Hotel to be first apartment building in the city to produce its own electricity and heat via the ClearEdge Power system
LONG BEACH, Calif., August 3, 2011 — LINC Housing, a Long Beach-based nonprofit that builds and manages affordable housing throughout California, anxiously awaits the installation of two ClearEdge5 fuel cells at The Palace Hotel, a renovation project that will provide apartments for foster youth aging out of the system. Developed by ClearEdge Power, an Oregon-based manufacturer of high-efficiency stationary fuel cells, the ClearEdge5 system will enable LINC Housing to save money and reduce the impact of its apartment building on the environment by leveraging proprietary technology to cleanly and efficiently convert natural gas into electricity and heat. Installation is expected on August 4.
“Six years ago, LINC Housing made a commitment to building sustainable housing, and these fuel cells are certainly one of the highlights of that effort,” said Hunter L. Johnson, LINC’s president and CEO. “People think it’s not possible to bring new technology to the homes we build; as a nonprofit developer we are pleased to demonstrate that with partnerships and perseverance it can be done.”
Funding for the fuel cells was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation through the National Trust Loan Fund.
In addition to the ClearEdge Power fuel cells, the building also has photovoltaic solar panels. The combination of these alternative energies should allow the project to generate the majority of the property’s electric demand on-site. The fuel cells will also generate enough heat to meet nearly all of the hot water demand for the entire building.
“With the Palace Hotel, LINC Housing has developed a model of sustainable living that leverages fuel cell technologies to significantly reduce costs and emissions,” said Mike Upp, vice president of marketing, ClearEdge Power. “We work with a variety of different builders, from high-end residential architects to affordable housing developers, to bring smart energy to businesses and homeowners today. The Palace Hotel is a perfect example of this, and by combining the ClearEdge5 system with its solar power implementation, the building will get 100 percent of its heat and energy from alterative sources.”
The ClearEdge5 is a 5-kilowatt fuel cell from ClearEdge Power that combines heat and power in a scalable solution that can meet individual business’ specific energy needs. Unlike power sources that use traditional combustion technology, the ClearEdge5 uses an electrochemical process to convert natural gas to electricity and heat. This process dramatically reduces the environmental impact of producing electricity by reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 35 to 40 percent compared to traditional production from the power grid. Roughly the size of a standard refrigerator and incorporating a system for real-time remote monitoring, the innovative fuel cell technology also reduces other typical pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds, ash and particulates, to trace levels.
The Palace Hotel renovation, a collaboration of the City of Long Beach, the Long Beach Housing Development Company, LINC Housing and United Friends of the Children (UFC), features 13 studio apartments, a manager’s unit, common areas, offices where resident will receive services from UFC, as well as retail space on the first floor that may help employ some of the residents.
UFC will implement its groundbreaking Pathways to Independence program, giving former foster youth the opportunity to access the critical education, employment and life skills needed to become successfully independent — all while living in their own apartments. Residents at The Palace will be required to work and pay rent, in addition to attending weekly life-skills classes and regular meetings with their advocacy counselors.
The renovation should be completed in late August. The first residents are expected to move in early-October.
