FuelCellsWorks

Store will be First in Massachusetts and Second at Whole Foods Market to Generate Bulk of Power with Fuel Cell

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass.– The new Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI) slated to open in Dedham, Mass., this fall will be the first supermarket in Massachusetts to generate approximately 90 percent of its power on-site with an ultra-clean 400 kW fuel cell from UTC Power. UTC Power is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company headquartered in Connecticut.

The new 60,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market under construction at Legacy Place, Dedham, will generate approximately 90 percent of its electricity and nearly 100 percent of its hot water using fuel cell technology. This will be the second fuel cell system installed by Whole Foods Market as an on-site power source. In March of 2008, Whole Foods Market became the first supermarket in the world to generate most of its power with a fuel cell, installing a 200 kW UTC Power unit at its Glastonbury, Conn., store.

Fuel cells are one of the cleanest energy-generation sources available in the world and meet the strictest U.S. emission standards. Hydrogen and oxygen are combined in an electrochemical process to produce electricity, heat and water.

More than half of the energy potential in traditional power plants is lost to the atmosphere as waste heat or in line transmission losses. In contrast, the 400 kW UTC Power fuel cell system captures its waste energy for local cooling and heating. Whole Foods Market’s use of a fuel cell system versus a conventional power plant has carbon dioxide-mitigating benefits equal to planting more than 175 acres of trees and reductions in nitrogen oxide emissions equal to removing more than 90 cars from the roadways per year (1).

“Whole Foods Market is excited to be able to use this clean and highly efficient technology at our new Dedham store to help reduce our impact on the environment and lessen our overall energy demands from traditional sources,” said Kathy Loftus, Whole Foods Market Global Leader of Sustainable Engineering, Maintenance and Energy. “We strongly believe in green power for the long term, so installing the larger fuel cell is ideal — it works with the vision of all involved, especially the community it will serve.”

UTC Power will install, own, operate and maintain the PureCell(R) Model 400 fuel cell system, which is also capable of providing standby power if there’s a grid failure to allow the store to operate without disruption and to avoid costly food spoilage.

The fuel cell project was approved for a $400,000 grant from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust Large Onsite Renewables Initiative (LORI), which is a program that awards grants for feasibility studies as well as design and construction projects for qualifying renewable energy systems greater than 10 kW.

Whole Foods Market, America’s first certified organic grocer, is a mission driven company with core values that include caring about the community and environment. The Company works hard to be a leader in environmental stewardship through various environmental initiatives including in-store composting for food waste and compostable paper products, sustainable building practices and offsetting 100 percent of its electricity through renewable energy credits. Each store also has a Green Mission Team, comprised of dedicated Team Members who act as a task force to inform and improve green actions for their store.

UTC Power, based in South Windsor, Conn., is a world leader in developing and producing fuel cells for on-site power at buildings and for transportation applications. For more information, visit www.utcpower.com

Company receives Technology Leadership Award for Renewable and Alternative Power Generation

Agni Energie (“AGNI”), a global leader in the field of renewable and alternative clean energy technology, has received the regional Technology Leadership Award for Renewable and Alternative Power Generation from Frost & Sullivan.

The award was received by AGNI at Frost & Sullivan’s 2009 South East Asia Industrial Technologies Awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on April 2, 2009.

The Technology Leadership Award is bestowed on a company that has pioneered the development and introduction of an innovative technology into the market; a technology that has either impacted or has the potential to impact several market sectors.

For AGNI, receiving the Technology Leadership Award for the renewable energy (RE) category is a significant milestone as it is an acknowledgement of the company’s efforts in spearheading innovation in the renewable energy industry, in Malaysia and South East Asia. The fundamentals of our business lie in the strength and skills of our people as well as the competitiveness of our technology. We have over 50 patents to date and this recognition simply stamps further our commitment not just to Malaysia but indeed to our business globally to be a leading technology provider, project developer and operator of renewable energy power plants.

It honours AGNI’s steadfast efforts in spearheading innovation not just in mature markets but also in those where the growth of renewable energy is relatively new.

This is the second year running  in which Frost & Sullivan has honoured outstanding efforts of a range of companies from the Environment & Building Technologies, Energy & Power Systems, Industrial Automation & Process Control, Electronics & Security, and Measurement & Instrumentation sectors.

In this annual best practices programme, the company screens the regional market to showcase extraordinary case studies and bring to fore those companies which have excelled beyond market average.

The awards recognised both technology innovators as well as companies that have successfully implemented their growth strategies, even during these challenging times, to gain market share and customer mind share. The awards are synonymous with Frost & Sullivan’s in-depth analysis and coverage of these industries, and they are carefully reviewed and evaluated to reflect the current market landscape inclusive of the emerging technology trends.

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About AGNI Inc
AGNI Inc is an industry leader in designing, developing, manufacturing and operating small to mid-sized renewable energy plant. As a leader in the field of alternative clean energy generation technology development, the company is dedicated to providing high efficiency, low emission on-site systems delivering significant environment and commercial benefits to its customers. A profitable fuel cell and alternative energy technology company, AGNI develops, manufactures and in some instances, operates plants on “Build Own Operate” (BOO) or “Build Own Operate Transfer” (BOOT) basis, comprising the following products.

• Fuel Cells
• Hydrogen Power Plant Systems
• Micro CHP Systems
• Fuel Reformers
• Bio Fuel – Bioethanol/Biodiesel
• Gasification
• Biomass derived Gasoline and Diesel
• Synthesis

The business focus is on grid-connected, distributed on-site generation, automotive, backup.

AGNI’s range of power generation technologies enable significantly more efficient electrical power production and also the recovery of excess heat which may be converted into hot water, steam and chilled water for air-conditioning or used to produce even more electrical power. Our technology can be configured to produce potable water as a by-product, and to recover CO2, therefore without emitting hazardous greenhouse gases.

AGNI was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Singapore. The company has operations in Portugal, Spain, the US, UK and Malaysia, with registered offices in Norway, Poland, and Mauritius. It has a manufacturing facility of 120,000 square feet in Shah Alam, Malaysia (AGNI’s largest operations), 18,000 square feet in Connecticut, US, and a fully automated manufacturing facility of 160,000 square feet in Montemor, Portugal, which is expected to be completed in 2009. Today, the company houses 211 employees including 105 engineers and scientists.

IntertechPira a leading conference and research organization, in conjunction with the National Hydrogen Association, is pleased to announce the date and venue for Hydrogen Production and Storage 2009.

Portland, Maine — Set for September 30 – August 2, 2009 at the Marriot Washington in Washington, DC, H2PS 2009 will provide an opportunity for developers, producers and users to discuss the viability and commercial potential of near-term technologies for producing and storing hydrogen, both on a large and a small scale. Speakers and session leaders will provide a close look at the market and examine the economic and technical constraints and stimulants for each production or storage method. Presentations will also address technical and commercial hurdles, the cost of implementing a new infrastructure, market and consumer acceptance issues and the timetable of events necessary to transition to a Hydrogen Economy.
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“We are very pleased to be working in conjunction with the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) for this event,” said Senior Conference Director, Christine Groff. “We are also excited to return to the original venue for IntertechPira’s Hydrogen Production & Storage Forum, Washington DC. With a new administration in place and subsequent changes in energy policy, this conference and the DC location are both timely and relevant.”

Now in its 15th year, this international conference is designed for business development managers, R&D specialists, technology planners, financial officers, venture capitalists and investors in the energy production, transmission, conversion and distribution industries. In addition, anyone connected with applications where hydrogen plays a key role, such as transportation, electric power generation and mobile battery-powered devices such as laptop computers and cell phones would benefit from attending.

Key topics to be discussed include:

* Industry overview and market potential
* Production methods
* Hydrogen storage
* Transportation and infrastructure

One pre-conference seminar will be held prior to the conference on Tuesday, September 29. Several networking opportunities will also be provided.

With maturing global efforts for a wholesale conversion to hydrogen, and a growing awareness of the many efficient, environmentally sound and low cost methods available to produce and store hydrogen, Hydrogen Production and Storage 2009 will provide a close look at the most viable technologies and systems and assess what is required to meet these objectives.

Stations will be open to the public and provide power for fuel-cell vehicles in LA and SF areas

SACRAMENTO: The California Air Resources Board announced today that it has awarded Mebtahi Station Services, San Francisco Airport, Shell Hydrogen and UCLA $1.7 million each to supplement their construction of hydrogen refueling stations doubling the amount of hydrogen available to the public.

The grants, provided by the California legislature and distributed by the ARB through a competitive bid process, are aimed at increasing the use of alternative fuels. The new stations will serve the growing number of fuel-cell vehicles on the road in the Los Angeles and the San Francisco areas and will double the amount of hydrogen available to the public.

“Hydrogen is one of the many fuels in California’s future,” said ARB Chairman Mary Nichols, “but we need to cultivate the industry’s early growth. This grant money will nurture a burgeoning technology that will provide jobs, invigorate our economy, and provide the state with clean power.”

Mebtahi Station Services will use the funds to add hydrogen fuel to their existing Chevron Station near the corner of Western Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway in Harbor City. In a partnership with Capital Investment Group, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., and General Physics, Mebtahi will provide up to 100 kilograms of hydrogen per day to vehicles in a publicly familiar retail setting.

The San Francisco Airport will build a hydrogen refueling facility at the airport’s Millbrae Avenue exit on Highway 101. This station will dispense 120 kilograms per day and fuel passenger cars and busses operated by transit agencies throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

Shell Hydrogen will also add hydrogen to an existing retail gasoline station at 1600 Jamboree Road in Newport Beach. The station will produce up to 100 kilograms per day of hydrogen on site through a natural gas steam-reformation system.

UCLA, in a partnership with Air Products, General Physics and South Coast Air Quality Management District, plans to build a hydrogen fueling station at its transit facility at the corner of Veteran and Kinross Avenues in Westwood. This publicly available facility will produce hydrogen on site and will provide 140 kilograms per day.

The average refueling amount for a fuel-cell vehicle is about four to five kilos.

California is pursuing a transition to clean energy and energy diversity by promoting efforts by automobile manufacturers and energy companies to employ hydrogen as a power source for vehicles and electricity production.

LOS ANGELES, CA–Vision Industries Corp. (OTCBB: VIIC) is pleased to announce that its prototype zero emission plug-in electric/hydrogen fuel cell Tyrano™ truck completed the first stage of performance testing at the L.A. Freightliner facilities in Whittier, CA. Please view a video of the very first Tyrano™ test drive at www.visionindustriescorp.com.

Lawrence Weisdorn, COO of Vision, stated, “We were confident that our drive train would work, but to see it actually moving an 84,000lb GVW big rig truck is truly a monumental milestone for Vision Industries. We designed the Tyrano™ to replace short haul diesel trucks operating in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. We will offer these truckers the best of all worlds: The Tyrano™ will be zero emissions, more powerful and cheaper to operate than current diesel or natural gas trucks and will exempt the truckers from the $70 per container port tariff (http://www.portmod.org/POLICY/Clean%20Truck%20Fee.htm).”

About Vision Industries Corp.

Vision is a provider of hydrogen fuel cell/plug-in electric powered vehicles and turnkey hydrogen fueling systems. Vision’s proprietary hydrogen fuel cell/plug-in electric drive system combines the superior acceleration of a battery powered electric vehicle with the extended range provided by a hydrogen fuel cell. The Vision vehicles use plug-in electricity for the first portion of their journeys with the hydrogen fuel cell providing them with extended range. Vision uses major manufacturers as partners or sub contractors to produce its vehicles. This business approach avoids massive outlays of startup capital. Many regional, state and federal alternative energy programs in the form of grants, tax credits and loans exist or are planned.

Power Plant Helps Maintain Continuous Base Operations While Helping Department of Defense Meet Its Energy Efficiency Targets

DANBURY, Conn.–FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of high efficiency, ultra-clean power plants using renewable and other fuels for commercial, industrial, government and utility customers, today announced the sale of a 300 kilowatt (kW) Direct FuelCell(r) (DFC(r)) power plant to improve the availability of reliable and environmentally friendly electricity for Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB) in Louisiana.

The DFC power plant was purchased by Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC), under contract with the United States Air Force Advanced Power Technology Office (APTO). CTC will provide research, design, development, testing, demonstration, and sustainment of the 300 kW carbonate fuel cell system at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. The system is expected to be operational in early 2010.

The U.S. government is the largest electricity consumer in the world, with thousands of government buildings and military facilities in the U.S. and abroad. As the government continues to deploy ultra-clean, efficient DFC power plants, it will reduce its emissions and peak power requirements while increasing power reliability.

DFC fuel cell power plants generate power electrochemically, without combustion, producing near-zero air pollutants like NOX, SOX and particulate matter. FuelCell Energy’s power plants generate baseload electricity 24/7 with 47 percent electrical efficiency, compared to 25 to 40 percent for combustion-based technology their size. When used in a combined heat and power application where the fuel cell’s byproduct heat is being used for hot water or for space heating, DFC power plants can achieve up to 80 percent system efficiency. This efficiency results in significantly reduced CO2 emissions and lower power costs.

As a key Air Combat Command base, Barksdale has a pivotal role in the nation’s deterrent force and serves as headquarters for the 2nd Bomb Wing, the oldest bomber wing in the Air Force. DFC power plants increase energy reliability and security because they operate locally independent of the grid. The DFC300 will support Barksdale’s critical operations in emergencies such as blackouts, natural disasters, weather events and other threats to the grid. By supplementing the base’s power grid with 24/7 baseload power, the DFC power plant increases the availability and reliability of Barksdale’s power supply.

“DFC power plants are a high-efficiency, distributed power generation solution that meets Barksdale’s high reliability and security requirements,” said Bill Foster, Vice President Government Business Development for FuelCell Energy. “Installing a DFC power plant furthers the U.S. Department of Defense plan to increase energy efficiency and use more clean generation sources as set forth in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.”

About FuelCell Energy

FuelCell Energy is the world leader in the development and production of stationary fuel cells for commercial, industrial, municipal and utility customers. FuelCell Energy’s ultra-clean and high efficiency DFC(r) fuel cells are generating power at over 50 locations worldwide. The company’s power plants have generated more than 275 million kWh of power using a variety of fuels including renewable wastewater gas, biogas from beer and food processing, as well as natural gas and other hydrocarbon fuels. FuelCell Energy has partnerships with major power plant developers and power companies around the world. The company also receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and other government agencies for the development of leading edge technologies such as fuel cells. For more information, please visit our website at www.fuelcellenergy.com.

About Concurrent Technologies Corporation

Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) is an independent, nonprofit, applied scientific research and development professional services organization providing innovative management and technology-based solutions to government and industry. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, CTC’s primary purpose and programs are to undertake applied scientific research and development activities that serve the public interest. For more information, visit www.ctc.com.

About Advanced Power Technology Office

The APTO was established by the United States Air Force to lead, manage and coordinate the USAF role in integrating advanced power and alternative-energy technologies into the USAF inventory of: ground vehicles, support equipment, Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources (BEAR), fuel cell equipment, and base infrastructure. The APTO resides in the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The goals of APTO are to provide increased capabilities and benefits to the warfighter; support the Air Force’s environmental and energy policy requirements and reduce dependency on foreign energy sources by the insertion of advanced power technologies. For more information, visit www.robins.af.mil/units/apto.asp.

This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company’s plans and expectations regarding the continuing development and commercialization of its fuel cell technology. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that could cause such a difference include, without limitation, general risks associated with product development, manufacturing, changes in the utility regulatory environment, potential volatility of energy prices, rapid technological change, competition, and the Company’s ability to achieve its sales plans and cost reduction targets, as well as other risks set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Direct FuelCell, DFC, DFC/T and FuelCell Energy, Inc. are all registered trademarks of FuelCell Energy, Inc. DFC-ERG is a trademark jointly owned by Enbridge, Inc. and FuelCell Energy, Inc.

The design of efficient systems for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, driven by sunlight is among the most important challenges facing science today, underpinning the long term potential of hydrogen as a clean, sustainable fuel. But man-made systems that exist today are very inefficient and often require additional use of sacrificial chemical agents. In this context, it is important to establish new mechanisms by which water splitting can take place.

Now, a unique approach developed by Prof. David Milstein and colleagues of the Weizmann Institute’s Organic Chemistry Department, provides important steps in overcoming this challenge. During this work, the team demonstrated a new mode of bond generation between oxygen atoms and even defined the mechanism by which it takes place. In fact, it is the generation of oxygen gas by the formation of a bond between two oxygen atoms originating from water molecules that proves to be the bottleneck in the water splitting process. Their results have recently been published in Science.

Nature, by taking a different path, has evolved a very efficient process: photosynthesis – carried out by plants – the source of all oxygen on Earth. Although there has been significant progress towards the understanding of photosynthesis, just how this system functions remains unclear; vast worldwide efforts have been devoted to the development of artificial photosynthetic systems based on metal complexes that serve as catalysts, with little success. (A catalyst is a substance that is able to increase the rate of a chemical reaction without getting used up.)

The new approach that the Weizmann team has recently devised is divided into a sequence of reactions, which leads to the liberation of hydrogen and oxygen in consecutive thermal- and light-driven steps, mediated by a unique ingredient – a special metal complex that Milstein’s team designed in previous studies. Moreover, the one that they designed – a metal complex of the element ruthenium – is a ‘smart’ complex in which the metal center and the organic part attached to it cooperate in the cleavage of the water molecule.

The team found that upon mixing this complex with water the bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms break, with one hydrogen atom ending up binding to its organic part, while the remaining hydrogen and oxygen atoms (OH group) bind to its metal center.

This modified version of the complex provides the basis for the next stage of the process: the ‘heat stage.’ When the water solution is heated to 100 degrees C, hydrogen gas is released from the complex – a potential source of clean fuel – and another OH group is added to the metal center.

‘But the most interesting part is the third ‘light stage,’’ says Milstein. ‘When we exposed this third complex to light at room temperature, not only was oxygen gas produced, but the metal complex also reverted back to its original state, which could be recycled for use in further reactions.’

These results are even more remarkable considering that the generation of a bond between two oxygen atoms promoted by a man-made metal complex is a very rare event, and it has been unclear how it can take place. Yet Milstein and his team have also succeeded in identifying an unprecedented mechanism for such a process. Additional experiments have indicated that during the third stage, light provides the energy required to cause the two OH groups to get together to form hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which quickly breaks up into oxygen and water. ‘Because hydrogen peroxide is considered a relatively unstable molecule, scientists have always disregarded this step, deeming it implausible; but we have shown otherwise,’ says Milstein. Moreover, the team has provided evidence showing that the bond between the two oxygen atoms is generated within a single molecule – not between oxygen atoms residing on separate molecules, as commonly believed – and it comes from a single metal center.

Discovery of an efficient artificial catalyst for the sunlight-driven splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen is a major goal of renewable clean energy research. So far, Milstein’s team has demonstrated a mechanism for the formation of hydrogen and oxygen from water, without the need for sacrificial chemical agents, through individual steps, using light. For their next study, they plan to combine these stages to create an efficient catalytic system, bringing those in the field of alternative energy an important step closer to realizing this goal.

Participating in the research were former postdoctoral student Stephan Kohl, Ph.D. student Leonid Schwartsburd and technician Yehoshoa Ben-David all of the Organic Chemistry Department, together with staff scientists Lev Weiner, Leonid Konstantinovski, Linda Shimon and Mark Iron of the Chemical Research Support Department.

Prof. David Milstein’s research is supported by the Mary and Tom Beck-Canadian Center for Alternative Energy Research; and the Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Molecular Design. Prof. Milstein is the incumbent of the Israel Matz Professorial Chair of Organic Chemistry.

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world’s top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the Institute is home to 2,600 scientists, students, technicians and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.

Melbourne-based clean energy company Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited [ASX/AIM: CFU], a global leader in fuel cell development, today announced it has entered into an agreement with ASX listed litigation funding company IMF (Australia) Limited to recover lost investment funds.

Ceramic Fuel Cells is taking legal action against various parties to recover losses suffered when Ceramic Fuel Cells’ funds were invested in a range of structured financial products.

Under the funding agreement, IMF (Australia) Limited will pay the costs of Ceramic Fuel Cells’ legal action, including all legal fees, in return for a success fee. Ceramic Fuel Cells is being advised by the law firm DLA Phillips Fox.

The claim is expected to be for about $25 million.