UTC Power PureCycle® geothermal system named R&D 100 award winner

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., July 10, 2007 – UTC Power, a United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) company, today announced that its PureCycle® geothermal power system developed with United Technologies Research Center in East Hartford, Conn., has been recognized by R&D Magazine as one of the 100 most technologically significant products introduced during the past year.

The magazine will publicize the full list of winners in its September 2007 issue. 

Over the years, the R&D 100 awards have recognized winning products with such household names as the automated teller machine (1973), the fax machine (1975), Taxol anticancer drug (1993), and HDTV (1998). 

The magazine states that its “outside judges and editors are looking for products that leapfrog current technology, that provide simple, elegant solutions to complex and long-standing technical or practical problems . . .” and that make you say “How did they do that?” 

UTC Power’s PureCycle system customer Chena Hot Springs Resort submitted the award application. The resort is 60 miles from Fairbanks, Alaska, and 35 miles off the power grid. It has the first geothermal power plant in Alaska and is the site of the lowest temperature geothermal resource (165 degrees Fahrenheit) ever used for commercial power generation in the world. Prior to the operation of the power plant at Chena, the lowest temperature geothermal resource ever developed for commercial power generation was 208 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The resort’s first UTC Power PureCycle geothermal system was commissioned in August of 2006 to provide power for on-site electrical needs. Alaska’s energy costs are among the nation’s highest and two UTC Power PureCycle units are significantly reducing the daily energy bill and eliminating the need for diesel fuel-burning generators and their harmful emissions. In addition to Chena and UTC, the demonstration project partners included the U.S. Department of Energy, Alaska Energy Authority, Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority and The Denali Commission. 

Geothermal systems are recognized as the most reliable form of renewable energy available because they do not depend on clear skies, windy days or rainfall. Although geothermal energy addresses many of our national concerns, its potential is largely untapped. UTC Power’s PureCycle system represents an innovative advancement in geothermal energy production that offers the possibility of tapping into significant U.S. geothermal reserves for a domestic, renewable, continuously available source of power to meet our growing energy demands. 

United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides high-technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries. Its UTC Power unit in South Windsor, Conn., is a full-service provider of environmentally advanced power solutions. UTC Power is a world leader with nearly 50 years experience in developing and producing fuel cells for on-site power, transportation, space and defense applications, as well as a leader in innovative renewable energy solutions and combined cooling, heating and power solutions for the distributed energy market.