Power/energy: New York's fuel-cell power plant: On the verge of success: If all goes well, Manhattan's 4.8-MW plant should be delivering reliable power this month

Many planners believe that fuel-cell power plants are the answer to the anticipated growth in demand for electricity in the 1990s. Early laboratory tests have shown that fuel cells are clean, quiet, and highly efficient. With a heat rate of 9800 kilojoules per kilowatthour (2300 kilocalories or 9300 British thermal units per kilowatthour), one such demonstration plant, prepared for operation by the Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, is expected to be more efficient than the best coal-fired plants with scrubbers.