ROCHESTER, NY — Connected Energy Corp. has signed an agreement with Plug Power Inc. (Latham, NY) to provide its customers with a Web-based system for centrally managing Plug Power GenSys™ fuel cells.

With Connected Energy's Central Operating Management System (COMSYS™), says the company, users will only need an Internet Explorer browser on their PC to have the capability to securely monitor operations, access data history, receive alarm notifications, produce reports, and dispatch service personnel to handle GenSys fuel cells anywhere at any time. The system can also integrate site-specific meters and sensors, as well as other equipment such as chillers and boilers.

The data from the various sources are transformed into a standardized XML data set and transmitted securely over the Internet encapsulated in a Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnel. Service personnel, upon pager or e-mail notification, can begin diagnosing a situation 24x7 at work, at home, or on the road, the company says.

The GenSys 5C, a fuel cell system based on Plug Power's patented combined heat and power (CHP) technology, is designed to capture the heat generated during the production of electricity and make it available for integration into a heating or hot water system. The system is capable of generating 5 kW of electricity and 9 kW of heat.

Scott Wilshire, director, marketing engagement, for Plug Power, commented, "We are pleased to work with Connected Energy to provide the COMSYS solution to our customers. It provides an intuitive, Web-based interface to unmanned sites. It is one of the key elements to enable widespread distributed generation and combined heat and power implementations."

Christopher Campbell, president and CEO of Connected Energy Corp., stated, "COMSYS originated in 1998 to solve the problem of monitoring, controlling, servicing, and billing across a large number of unmanned sites located anywhere in the world. We are excited about working with OEMs such as Plug Power to provide this capability to mutual customers. Adoption by industry leaders such as Plug Power will help lead to an additional goal — an open and common XML-based protocol to enable the plug and play of distributed resources."

Publication date: 11/25/2002