NEW YORK: NYPA Fuel Cells Will Help Clean City's Air—As part of a $23 million program to offset emissions of air pollutants, the Power Authority is planning to install eight fuel cells at four wastewater treatment plants in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. The fuel cells will produce power for the plants while reducing emissions. The installations and other antipollution measures are aimed at fulfilling a Power Authority pledge to counter emissions generated by NYPA's 10 small natural gas-fired turbines in the four boroughs. The highly efficient, non-polluting fuel cells will produce electricity by creating a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen. The oxygen will come from the air, and the wastewater treatment plants will derive the hydrogen from anaerobic digester gas, a byproduct of waste treatment. UTC Fuel Cells, the manufacturer, said the units will generate less than an ouce of emissions for every 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

ROCHESTER: Governor Announces Energy-Savings Project—Gov. George E. Pataki has announced that the Power Authority will undertake a $2.3 million energy-efficiency project in Rochester City Hall and a number of other municipal buildings. "At no cost to the city, this program will reduce harmful emissions, save more than 1.5 million kilowatt-hours of energy and produce savings of more than $200,000 annually," the Governor said on Jan. 15. The program, approved by the Rochester City Council in December, will focus on renovations that will help to improve illumination while using less electricity. Heat pumps, electric motors and other electric applications will be made more efficient. The Power Authority will hire contractors, purchase necessary equipment and supervise the work. When the project is completed, NYPA will recoup its investment by sharing in the savings. After the program’s costs are paid, the city will retain all the savings. Since Governor Pataki took office in 1995, the Power Authority has more than doubled its statewide annual investments in energy-efficiency improvements at public facilities, increasing taxpayers' savings from such projects to $72 million a year.

MIDDLEBURGH: NYPA Energy Audits Help Gain POCR Grants— Energy-efficiency audits by the Power Authority have paved the way for $26,300 in grants for infrastructure improvements expected to save local taxpayers about $3,500 a year. The grants will be used to upgrade heating, ventilation, and lighting systems at public facilities in the village and town of Middleburgh. State Sen. James Seward and Assemblyman John Faso helped secure the monies from the Petroleum Overcharge Restitution fund. The village will receive $16,600 for a new energy-efficient heating system to its wastewater treatment plant. A new furnace, building insulation, duct work and high-efficiency lighting, at a cost of about $9,700, is slated for the town garage, which houses the highway department and emergency medical service vehicles.

LEWISTON: Niagara Plant Gantry Crane Sets U.S. Lift Record— Just four U.S. hydroelectric plants are bigger than the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant at the Power Authority's Niagara Power Project. But the 30-story-high plant, built into the Niagara Gorge, about 4 1/2 miles downstream from the Falls, claims the most powerful gantry crane of any in the nation after lifting close to 700 tons in a load capacity test in December. The 90-feet-high box-shaped crane, just overhauled, lifts and transports components, including 595-ton generator rotors, from the plant's 13 turbine-generators for repairs and an ongoing multiyear upgrade.

NEW YORK: NYPA Customers Shave Peak Energy Use—By turning to their own emergency generators or trimming non-essential power use at times of peak demand last summer, seven Power Authority electricity customers here contributed to the success of NYPA's growing Peak Load Management (PLM) program, aimed at guarding against power shortages. Their good-neighbor efforts to reduce electricity use at a total of 42 sites resulted in a 53,000-kilowatt (kw) reduction during the June-to-September PLM period and more than $1.6 million in incentive payments to the customers. Locations ranged from office buildings and colleges to wastewater treatment plants and transit facilities. With rising electricity demand and continuing shortages of in-city generating capacity, NYPA trustees doubled funding for PLM in 2001. The Power Authority plans to repeat the program this summer, with a goal of doubling electricity savings, to more than 100,000 kw, with the help of additional customers.

QUEENS: Electric School Buses Debut in the Borough—The Power Authority's electric school bus program made strides in 2001 with the introduction of the first two electric school buses here. Operating in Jamaica, the buses feature a new, dependable electric motor and energy storage system designed by the Massachusetts-based Solectria Corporation. The Power Authority also plans to provide a hybrid electric- and diesel-powered school bus for use in the borough this year. NYPA introduced the Northeast's first electric school bus, in the Bronx, in 1997.

UTICA: Cell Phones Aid Victims of Domestic Violence—Employees at the Power Authority's Clark Energy Center here and other NYPA sites have collected more than 350 cell phones for use by actual and potential victims of domestic violence. Staff members at NYPA's Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project, Gilboa, and Albany and White Plains offices also contributed to the drive. The employees donated the phones as part of a nationwide effort by Motorola and The Wireless Foundation, in partnership with Verizon, to recycle the equipment for use as 911-emergency communications tools. Each phone, battery and charger will be refurbished to ensure that they are operating properly before they are distributed.

NORTH BLENHEIM: Scenic Ski Trail Open for Fitness and Fun— The grounds of the Power Authority's Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project here are open to the public for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. A two-mile loop passes directly in front of the project's visitors center, off Route 30, and continues into nearby Mine Kill State Park, one of the most scenic locations in the Northern Catskills. A four- to six-inch base of snow cover has already accumulated on the easy-to-moderate course. The trails are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and admission is free.

In the Community: Power Authority employees donated blood in a drive sponsored by the Hudson Valley Blood Services at NYPA's White Plains office, Jan. 17….Brian Warner, senior policy specialist, spoke to the Ossining Rotary Club on Energy Sources of the Future, Cambridge House, Jan. 16….Steve Ramsey, senior community relations representative at NYPA's Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project, North Blenheim, and Tracy Dufresne, the project's human resources facility manager, gave a presentation on careers in the electric utility industry to students at South Kortright High School, Jan 11….Maryann Falls, manager, speakers bureau and employee communications, spoke to Chapter 29 of the AARP on Electrical Safety in the Home, Grace Episcopal Church, Jamaica, Queens, Jan. 10.…NYPA representatives gave an overview of the Authority's Niagara Power Project, Lewiston, including an update on the relicensing of the project, to Leadership Buffalo's First Impressions group at the Buffalo Employment Training Center, Jan 10….Bill Siddon, senior community relations representative at NYPA's St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project, Massena, spoke to students at the West Side Elementary School, Gouverneur, on the Basics of Electricity, Jan. 4.