Charter Oak CHP Project

A Simple Idea That Changed Everything

In 2014, NuPower founders Dan Donovan and Scott Guilmartin decided to bring a new idea to America. A combined heat and power (CHP) installation that generates clean, reliable power locally while offering byproduct heat to nearby schools and businesses. It had never been done before in America. The question was how to combine electrical generation and a thermal loop into a single system?

From Pipe Dream to Project of the Year

A 2018 law required the power to come from a combined heat and power system, making HyAxiom an ideal partner. From there, the concept moved through the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) thanks to vigorous grassroots efforts, local legislative, and federal backing. The Connecticut Green Bank added further essential momentum and even named the Charter Oak CHP Project its “Project of the Year.”

Ten Years to Success

In October of 2019, NuPower and southern Connecticut’s electric utility United Illuminating partnered on the project and soon after, distributed energy company Scale Microgrid Solutions stepped in. By 2024 agreements for engineering, procurement, and construction were signed, and HyAxiom was able to bring everything under one company.

Location, Location, Location

(Plus Gas and Grid Connections)

The project needed a very specific location–industrial/non-residential land, near potential thermal off-takers, with direct gas pipeline access and grid interconnection. The ideal location turned out to be a not-so-ideal shaped plot wedged narrowly between I-95, a rail line, and high-tension power lines in a tiny corner of Bridgeport, Connecticut. And it checked every single box.

Siting Up, Not Out

The tiny .75 acre sliver of land posed its own unique challenges, but the project team engineered a brilliant solution: a three-story multi-level fuel cell installation–seven HyAxiom fuel cell units on each of the three floors, 21 in total, with cooling modules mounted on the rooftop above. Things moved quickly, and the entire steel structure was erected in just 30 days.

Not Just a New Resident, a Good Neighbor

At the heart of the facility are HyAxiom’s PureCell® M400 fuel cells, each creating electricity through electrochemical reaction with almost no air pollutants. Byproduct heat runs through a thermal loop to the University of Bridgeport, Bassick High School, and Approved Storage and Waste Hauling, with even more of the surrounding community schools and businesses on deck to join them.

The Track Record Behind the Technology

The Charter Oak CHP Project is backed by more than 70 years of fuel cell experience, 640+ megawatts deployed worldwide, and roughly 21 million megawatt-hours generated to date. Every unit has a 20-year service agreement and 24/7 remote monitoring. So there’s no need for added staff or payroll.

Bringing Good Energy to the Community

The Charter Oaks CHP Project is a story of community integration, uplift, and growth. What was once an underutilized industrial parcel yielding minimal property taxes is now on track to generate more than $200,000 annually, while serving as an inspiring example of what is possible for communities across the country.