Energy Department Awards More Than $7 Million for Innovative Hydrogen Storage Technologies in Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (12/12/11)

Over $7 million has been set aside by the US Department of Energy to fund four projects in California, Washington and Oregon to advance hydrogen storage technologies for use in fuel cell electric vehicles.

Reducing costs and increasing performance of hydrogen storage systems by developing innovative materials and advanced tanks is the object of the three-year projects.

"Targeted investments in cutting-edge hydrogen storage technologies will spur American ingenuity, accelerate breakthroughs, and increase our competitiveness in the global clean energy economy," said energy secretary Steven Chu.

"As we focus on energy security, strengthening our portfolio to include domestically-produced hydrogen and American-made fuel cells for transportation and energy storage applications will create new jobs and reduce carbon pollution."

Ballard Signs Supply Agreement With A Major European OEM For Fuel Cell Bus Modules (14/12/11)

Ballard Power Systems has signed an equipment supply agreement with Van Hool NV for 21 of the company's latest-generation FCveolicity-HD6 fuel cell power modules.

The fuel cell modules will power zero-emission buses in a number of European cities, with the majority to be shipped in 2012.

Leopold Van Hool, managing director of Europe's fourth largest bus manufacturer, said: "We are very pleased to be utilising Ballard fuel cell modules, building on its proven track record of reliability and durability. These modules are compact and offer integration flexibility, while delivering the high performance required for heavy duty city buses."

The fuel cell module roll-out is being supported by European Joint Technology Initiative funding provided under the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking programme, part of Europe's Sustainable Energy Technology Plan.

Berlin Airports Test Opel HydroGen4 (13/12/11)

Germany's new Berlin Brandenburg Airport, set to replace the older Tegel and Schonefeld airports, is trialling a new Open HydroGen4 fuel cell vehicle.

"The vehicle, which has an emission free hydrogen propulsion, is supposed to give valuable further insights into the everyday suitability of this futuristic technology as part of the Clean Energy Partnership," said Opel vice-president of government relations Volker Hoff.

Opel's HydroGen4 features a 73kW/100hp engine unit that delivers an acceleration rate of 0 to 100 km/h in 12 seconds with a top speed of 160 km/h.

It boasts a range of 320km and can be filled up in under three minutes.

Power+Energy Issues White Paper on Hydrogen Purification Technology (14/12/11)

Power+Energy has published a new study on recent innovations in palladium membrane technology and the impact on purifier performance and reliability.

The paper, entitled "A Durable Gas Purification Technology for High-flow Hydrogen in LED, Power Device and Photovoltaic Fabrication", is available on its website.

Ballard Clean Energy Fuel Cell Modules Power BC Transit Bus Fleet Thru 1-Million Miles of Service (20/12/11)

The 20-bus fleet operated by BC Transit in Whistler, British Columbia, which is powered by Ballard FCvelocity-HD6 fuel cell modules, has surpassed one million miles of revenue service.

It is the largest hydrogen fuel cell-powered bus fleet in operation in the world since entering service in January 2010 prior to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

Paul Cass, Ballard vice-president of operations, said, "We are pleased with the continued improvement in overall bus fleet performance over time and are delighted with BC Transit's ongoing support of this important initiative.

"Many decision-makers in the global bus market are following the Whistler experience closely and will be interested in the results to date."

Acta signs letter of intent with Horizon (05/01/12)

Acta signed a letter of intent with Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Pte for the evaluation, development and production of electrolyser systems incorporating Acta's award-winning hydrogen generating technology.

Horizon, which has sold hundreds of thousands of consumer fuel cell products over the past five years, has bought an EL100 electrolyser from Acta and aims to incorporate the firm's hydrogen generator stacks into its own electrolyser equipment.

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