Photo Release -- Plug Power Introduces Next Generation of GenDrive Fuel Cell Products (24/10/11)

Plug Power has unveiled the next generation of its GenDrive fuel cell products, which are designed as a drop-in replacement for lead-acid batteries in electric lift trucks. 

The new versions feature a number of enhancements designed to increase reliability and improve lift and towing capacity, according to the firm.

"With our application knowledge and advanced technical capabilities, Plug Power has been able to enhance our GenDrive product offerings in a way that simplifies the system and reduces the parts necessary to manufacture the units," said Adrian Corless, chief technology officer at Plug Power.

The GenDrive systems boost productivity by up to 15 per cent, lower operational costs by up to 30 per cent and reduce site greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 per cent, the firm states.

ACAL Energy Completes Build of its First Field Test System (25/10/11)

ACAL Energy has completed its first FlowCath demonstration unit, which will be installed at Solvay Interox's Warrington chemical plant.

The unit, which produces gross power of three kW, will be used to provide continuous electrical power to a remote environmental monitoring system.

FlowCath technology replaces the platinum catalyst on the cathode side of a PEMFC with a lower cost durable liquid chemical.

Toyota FCHV-adv to Compete in the RAC Future Car Challenge (25/10/11)

Toyota's FCHV-adv (Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle - advanced) took part in this year's RAC Future Car Challenge, which saw over 60 green vehicles competing to travel the 60 miles from Brighton to London using the least amount of energy.

The FCHV-adv was the only Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle listed to run in the competition. Last year Honda's FCX Clarity also took part.

Californian T-Mobile Site Installs IdaTech’s Backup Power Fuel Cell and Fuel Solution (26/10/11)

IdaTech has announced the first use of its new BioHydro-Plus renewable fuel for use in its fuel cell systems.

The first use of the fuel will be at one of the ElectraGen ME fuel cell systems installed at T-Mobile sites in California.

Waste-to-Energy System Using Ballard Fuel Cells Successfully Supplies Power to S.Korean Grid (26/10/11)

Ballard Power Systems announced that the fuel cell system supplied to GS Platech is now successfully supplying power to the South Korean electricity grid.

The pilot plant in Cheongsong uses plasma gasification technology to treat organic solid waste and is capable of producing sufficient high purity hydrogen to generate 50 kilowatts of clean, zero-emission power.

Dantherm Power, Ballard's backup power systems company, supplied the power system fuelled by this hydrogen.

"This is the first ever demonstration of a waste-to-energy system incorporating both of these technologies," said Jesper Themsen, managing director and chief executive officer of Dantherm Power.

Intelligent Energy Appoints Joe O’Sullivan as Chief Operating Officer (28/10/11)

Hydrogen fuel cell firm Intelligent Energy has appointed Joe O'Sullivan to the role of chief operating officer.

Dr Henri Winand, the firm's chief executive officer, explained: "Joe's arrival is very timely: his operational leadership experience at global organisations such as Apple will be focused on the execution of our accelerated growth and commercialisation plans."

KIA Develops 3 Alternative Ways to Go Green (28/10/11)

Kia is banking on hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) as the answer to green transport.

The carmaker developed its first FCEV in 2003, based on the Sportage and close to having a version of the Borrego ready for production.

Although Kia has not decided which model will be the first to go on sale with a fuel cell, it has committed to building limited numbers of FCEVs and aims to have them commercially available by 2015.

London’s Fuel Cell Taxi Fleet Confirmed Under New HyTEC Project (31/10/11)

The Intelligent Energy/Lotus London hydrogen fuel cell black cabs are to be deployed under a new European consortium HyTEC – Hydrogen Transport for European Cities.

The deployment consists of 15 black cabs and five Suzuki Bergmann scooters.

In addition, a new Air Products refuelling station will be created to complement the two already in operation servicing the fuel cell business on the RV1 route.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "This supports my drive to promote the uptake of cleaner vehicles such as electric cars and the new fleet of hydrogen buses running in London, which is setting industry standards."

Simplification Drives Hydrogenics Power Density Breakthrough in HyPM(R) Power Modules for Mobility Applications (01/11/11)

Fuel cell manufacturer Hydrogenics Corporation announced the release of its advanced generation HyPM HD (heavy duty) Fuel Cell Power Modules.

The advanced HyPM HD Power Module family achieves power density improvements ranging from 30-60 per cent on a volumetric basis and 40-60 per cent on a gravimetric basis when compared to current HyPM products and systems delivering equal power output.

"This same level of improvement is also evident when compared to the data available for competitive fuel cell power module products in the marketplace," the firm adds.

Berkeley Lab to Build Cost Model for Fuel Cells (01/11/11)

A $2 million grant from the US Department of Energy will allow a team of scientists at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory to develop a new fuel cell design.

Their goal is to quantify the benefits of fuel cells and the cost to manufacturers to provide a detailed cost analysis model for the technology.

There are, for example, human health benefits associated with fuel cells replacing fossil fuels, but they are traditionally not accounted for, especially not by the company making the fuel cells," said Eric Masanet, who will lead the study.

His team will look at two types of fuel cells - solid oxide and proton-exchange - membrane fuel cells, in systems of up to 250 kilowatts.

Plug Power Inc. CTO Winner of 2011 Fuel Cell Seminar and Exposition Award (01/11/11)

Plug Power's chief technology officer Adrian Corless has been recognised with an award at the 2011 Fuel Cell Seminar and Exposition for work on fuel cells.

He won the accolade for his research and development as well as his promotion of the partnerships that advance the research and development, commercialisation and implementation of fuel cells.

Most notably, he led expansion of Plug Power's GenDrive product offering, building the suite from two products to ten in three years.

Ballard Announces Delta Power Solutions Purchase Order For Fuel Cell Systems in India (01/11/11)

Ballard Power Systems announced that its backup power company Danterm Power has received an order for 30 of its DBX2000 fuel cell systems from Delta Power Solutions (India).
John Sheridan, Ballard's president and chief executive officer, described the order as a "key beachhead" for the firm in India.

"Delta is a leading player in the India telecommunications market and our strategic partnership provides important opportunities for sales of cost-effective, clean fuel cell products in the fast growing India telecom marketplace," he explained.

Toyota to Participate in E-KIZUNA Project (01/11/11)

Toyota has announced the signing of an agreement with Saitama City in Japan to collaborate in the E-KIZUNA Project, which aims to promote the use of electric and other alternative fuel vehicles.

City authorities and Toyota will jointly investigate the introduction of a hydrogen fuelling infrastructure.

Fuel Cells Energize America's Top Companies (01/11/11)

Some 34 corporate customers have installed, deployed or purchased more than 250 fuel cell power systems and hundreds of backup power units, plus more than 1,000 fuel cell-powered forklifts, according to The Business Case for Fuel Cells 2011: Energizing America's Top Companies, a new report released by Fuel Cells 2000.

"Companies are collectively saving millions of dollars in electricity costs while reducing carbon emissions by hundreds of thousands of metric tons per year using fuel cell forklifts and power systems," said Jennifer Gangi, programme director at Fuel Cells 2000.

"The US is the world leader in both fuel cell-forklift deployments and combined heat and power installations, with both markets dominated by American fuel cell manufacturers, helping provide jobs and opportunities for export."

Firm plans new production line in Elgin (02/11/11)

Frankfurt-based WeylChem Sustainable Materials, a producer of ammonia borane for use in fuel cells, is to open a plant in South Carolina.

The move comes after the firm won a $100,000 grant from the Greater Columbia Fuel Cell Challenge for its business plan.

ASTM Gaseous Fuels Committee Developing Proposed Standards to Support Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Technology (27/10/11)

American Society for Testing and Materials Subcommittee D03.14 on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells is developing the last two of a series of standards that will support quality standards for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles being developed by SAE International (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).


Committee chair Jacquelyn Birdsall explained: "These standards were identified by the industry as essential to commercialisation and will be part of international and national hydrogen quality codes and standards."

ReliOn Fuel Cells Assist During Storm Outages (10/11/11)

Telecoms providers in the north-eastern US have been relying on ReliOn's fuel cell back-up power systems to maintain critical services during some of the severest weather the area has seen in decades.

The region was first hit by Hurricane Irene in August and then by a freak winter storm in October that both caused widespread disruption to power supplies.

Joe Blanchard, ReliOn's chief operating officer, commented: "Without power, none of the convenient and life-saving mobile devices can function. Balancing the need for power with the desire to work toward a sustainable environment is something all of us continue to strive for."

Initial Commercial Production Run of Hyundai ix35 Tucson FCEV Confirmed (04/11/11)

Hyundai will commence small-scale production of its ix35 FCEV next year, with around 1,000 cars to be made for lease between 2012 and 2014.

Full-scale commercial production is planned for 2015, when 1,000 of the fuel cell vehicles will be manufactured.

Known as the Tucson in the US, the ix35 features a 100kW fuel cell that delivers 134 horsepower and 525km of range.

The ix35 is priced around £10,000 more expensive than its petrol-powered equivalent.

Clean-energy cars given jump-start (06/11/11)

Consumers in British Columbia (BC) are to get a CA$5,000 rebate on clean energy vehicles and CA$500 for installing charging stations.

Around CA$2.5 million will go toward the BC Scrap-It programme, which helps motorists replace older cars with greener alternatives.

A further CA$6 million will go toward funding new charging stations and upgrades to hydrogen fuelling stations at existing facilities

Blair Qualey of the New Car Dealers Association of BC said: "The point-of-sale rebate program is key to attracting new clean energy vehicles to the BC market."

"Manufacturers are eager to launch their new electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel-cell cars in markets that demonstrate both high demand and with infrastructure in place - BC is now one of those markets."

Toyota aims to start fuel cell vehicle sales by 2015 (06/11/11)

Toyota plans to sell thousands of fuel cell electric vehicles by 2015, the world's largest automaker has said.

The firm's plans are based on having to meet tougher European Union emissions rules, which mean a diversified array of green vehicles will be required.

"We see pure battery-powered vehicles to be just a solution for small trips in the city, while a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid is the best solution both for weekday urban commuting and weekend trips," Toyota Europe vice-president for product planning and marketing Alain Uyttenhoven.

Element One Ships New H-Series Fuel Reforming Hydrogen Generators (07/11/11)

Fuel reformer manufacturer Element One has begun deliveries of its new H-Series fuel reforming hydrogen generators, which supersede the company's first generation Pegasus model.

The firm claims the new generators offer more efficient system manufacturing, easier maintenance and significantly reduced operating costs for the end user.

Isle of Wight EcoIsland Project Integrates Renewables, Utilises Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (08/11/11)

The EcoIsland Partnership Community Interest Company (CIC), which is working to make the Isle of Wight a green energy hub, will launch as a Global Innovation Centre for smart grid technology tomorrow (November 15th)

ITM Power will provide the hydrogen storage for the scheme, which will integrate fuel cell technology with other low carbon systems.

CIC chief executive David Green explained that a demonstration "smart house" will have a HFill home hydrogen vehicle refueller, while there will also be up to four 100kg hydrogen generators for commercial and domestic trials with FCEV and HICE vehicles provided by Honda, Vauxhall and Toyota.

Global niche opportunities for SA as fuel cells and hydrogen energy develop (08/11/11)

South Africa could be poised to create jobs and opportunities for businesses as the rest of the world adopts hydrogen fuel cell technology.

One of the key factors is the reliance on platinum group metals in fuel cells, South Africa is the world's leader, accounting for 76 per cent of global platinum supply.

Hydrogen South Africa Systems Competence Centre researcher and University of the Western Cape Sasol Professor in Applied Chemistry Vladimir Linkov argues that the country can become a leader in "specific, high-technology prototypes".

He adds: "Platinum loading has decreased by more than 80 per cent between 2005 and 2010. It needs to decrease more. It's a must for fuel cells to take off. Cost must no longer be a limiting factor, preventing fuel cells from taking off. But platinum must remain the core of fuel cells."

Turkey Tests First Boron Fuel Cell Car (09/11/11)

Turkey's first fuel cell vehicle to run on borohydride, which was developed under the supervision of the Turkish National Boron Research Institute and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey has been tested by Industry Minister Nihat Ergun in Istanbul.

It uses nearly one kg borohydride per 35km and has a 100km range at a maximum speed of 80 km/h.

US Government Report Concludes Fuel Cells Support DoD Energy Strategy (09/11/11)

Ballard Power Systems welcomed a new report from the US Department of Defense that called for greater adoption of fuel cell technology for military uses.

Ballard Signs MOU With Delta To Expand Focus Of Clean Energy Fuel Cell System Sales in India (11/11/11)

Ballard Power Systems announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Delta Power Solutions (India) to expand the range of clean energy applications they will focus on under an existing fuel cell system collaboration agreement.

Dalip Sharma, managing director of Delta Power Solutions (India), said: "The MOU represents an exciting expansion of our collaboration agreement with Ballard, enabling environmentally-sound fuel cell solutions for the India economy.

John Sheridan, Ballard's president and chief executive officer added: "This is a strategic agreement underpinning Ballard's participation in India's expanding economy, where GDP growth is projected at more than seven-percent annually for the next several years.

"There are numerous applications in which clean fuel cells can replace dirty lead-acid batteries and noisy, polluting diesel generators." 

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