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FuelCell Energy and Toyota Motor North America (NYSE: TM) today announced that the first-of-its-kind “Tri-gen” facility at the Port of Long Beach has received the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2025 Better Project Award.* Commissioned by Toyota and owned and operated by FuelCell Energy, Tri-gen produces three products for port vehicle processing operations at Toyota Logistics Services: renewable electricity, renewable hydrogen and usable water.
“Tri-gen is an excellent example of FuelCell Energy’s game-changing innovation, delivering solutions that empower our customers’ businesses with clean energy without requiring them to sacrifice their established business models or operations,” FuelCell Energy CEO and President Jason Few said. “We were proud of our collaboration with Toyota to create solutions that are as practical as they are transformative and to be part of the Port of Long Beach’s efforts to improve the air quality in its community for its residents.”
The Better Project Award is said to recognize accomplishments at individual facilities for innovative and industry-leading accomplishments in implementing energy, water, and waste reduction efficiency measures.
Toyota and FuelCell Energy celebrated the grand opening of Tri-gen in May 2024. Tri-gen converts directed biogas from a California wastewater treatment facility digesting organic waste diverted from landfills to generate up to 2.3 megawatts of renewable electricity through an electro-chemical process. The use of renewable electricity helps reduce more than 9,000 tons of anticipated CO2 emissions and avoid more than six tons of grid NOx emissions annually. Electricity not used by Toyota is returned to the local utility.
Tri-gen also produces up to 1200 kilograms of hydrogen daily for fuel cell electric vehicles, such as the 2025 Toyota Mirai and class 8 trucks. Tri-gen recycles ~1400 gallons of water daily, which is used to wash newly processed vehicles prior to delivery, reducing water usage from the local utility.
The successful implementation of this project exemplifies commitment to sustainable solutions from both Toyota and FuelCell Energy. Both Toyota and FuelCell Energy say they believe that the emerging approach used in Tri-gen can be replicated to serve customers and markets at a lower cost with a lower environmental impact than existing alternatives.
“It is truly an honor to see the Tri-gen facility receive this award from the U.S. Department of Energy, a testament to the magnitude of the system’s impact, scalability, and ingenuity in addressing environmental challenges,” TMNA Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs Group Vice President Tom Stricker said. “FuelCell Energy’s platform has helped us accomplish several of our own environmental goals simultaneously, and the result is a model that sets a precedent for integrating hydrogen solutions into clean energy ecosystems as a proven way to enrich communities and strengthen energy independence.”
AutoInformed on
More here about the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, and the DOE Hydrogen Program and Hydrogen Interagency Task Force.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
FuelCell Energy and Toyota Get DOE’s Better Project Award
Click for more.
FuelCell Energy and Toyota Motor North America (NYSE: TM) today announced that the first-of-its-kind “Tri-gen” facility at the Port of Long Beach has received the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2025 Better Project Award.* Commissioned by Toyota and owned and operated by FuelCell Energy, Tri-gen produces three products for port vehicle processing operations at Toyota Logistics Services: renewable electricity, renewable hydrogen and usable water.
“Tri-gen is an excellent example of FuelCell Energy’s game-changing innovation, delivering solutions that empower our customers’ businesses with clean energy without requiring them to sacrifice their established business models or operations,” FuelCell Energy CEO and President Jason Few said. “We were proud of our collaboration with Toyota to create solutions that are as practical as they are transformative and to be part of the Port of Long Beach’s efforts to improve the air quality in its community for its residents.”
The Better Project Award is said to recognize accomplishments at individual facilities for innovative and industry-leading accomplishments in implementing energy, water, and waste reduction efficiency measures.
Toyota and FuelCell Energy celebrated the grand opening of Tri-gen in May 2024. Tri-gen converts directed biogas from a California wastewater treatment facility digesting organic waste diverted from landfills to generate up to 2.3 megawatts of renewable electricity through an electro-chemical process. The use of renewable electricity helps reduce more than 9,000 tons of anticipated CO2 emissions and avoid more than six tons of grid NOx emissions annually. Electricity not used by Toyota is returned to the local utility.
Tri-gen also produces up to 1200 kilograms of hydrogen daily for fuel cell electric vehicles, such as the 2025 Toyota Mirai and class 8 trucks. Tri-gen recycles ~1400 gallons of water daily, which is used to wash newly processed vehicles prior to delivery, reducing water usage from the local utility.
The successful implementation of this project exemplifies commitment to sustainable solutions from both Toyota and FuelCell Energy. Both Toyota and FuelCell Energy say they believe that the emerging approach used in Tri-gen can be replicated to serve customers and markets at a lower cost with a lower environmental impact than existing alternatives.
“It is truly an honor to see the Tri-gen facility receive this award from the U.S. Department of Energy, a testament to the magnitude of the system’s impact, scalability, and ingenuity in addressing environmental challenges,” TMNA Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs Group Vice President Tom Stricker said. “FuelCell Energy’s platform has helped us accomplish several of our own environmental goals simultaneously, and the result is a model that sets a precedent for integrating hydrogen solutions into clean energy ecosystems as a proven way to enrich communities and strengthen energy independence.”
AutoInformed on
More here about the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, and the DOE Hydrogen Program and Hydrogen Interagency Task Force.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.