II‐VI Incorporated, a Saxonburg, PA- based leader in engineered materials has a new Bloom Energy-powered microgrid at its Warren, NJ manufacturing site.
Microgrids are electrical power systems which can operate independently of the electrical grid.
With the local electric utility unable to supply more power quickly enough to keep up with its growth, II-VI sought an on-site grid-independent power solution.
II-VI selected Bloom Energy to build a 2.5-megawatt power system to support its growing operations. The Bloom Energy Server site was up-and-running within nine months of the two companies first starting to work together.
Bloom builds is fuel cells at its Newark production site.
Bloom Energy Servers generate electricity without combustion. Bloom Energy Servers are now deployed at 25 of the Fortune 100, and at approximately 600 locations worldwide.
By using Bloom Energy Servers as its primary source of power, II-VI is reducing CO2 emissions by 15 million pounds per year relative to the power the company would have bought from the New Jersey grid. About 50 percent of the power generated in New Jersey grid comes from combusting fossil fuels.
Bloom Energy Servers generate electricity from natural gas or biogas via an electrochemical reaction rather than combustion.
Bloom Energy Servers use virtually no water in normal operation. By comparison, to produce one megawatt per hour for a year, combustion-based grid power draws approximately 156 million more gallons of water.
The new microgrid provides II-VI with increased energy security. Bloom Energy Servers utilize underground natural gas infrastructure, which is not susceptible to the impact of severe weather. The systems also provide very high-quality power, which is important in high tech manufacturing, the Bloom release stated.
“We faced two significant challenges bringing production levels up at our Warren facility. First, we needed a solution that would deliver power in months not years. Second, we wanted to decrease our overall carbon footprint,” said Giovanni Barbarossa, chief technology officer, and president Laser Solutions, II-VI Incorporated. “Bloom Energy delivered on both fronts. We’re excited to be working with them to fulfill our energy demands now and into the future.”
“Electricity is the lifeblood of high tech manufacturing, and a reliable, high-quality power supply is vital to the world’s most advanced manufacturing companies,” said KR Sridhar, founder, chairman, and CEO of Bloom Energy. “We’re proud to be an American manufacturer helping another American manufacturer achieve impressive growth, reliability and sustainability.”
