FuelCellsWorks

EPB’s Chattanooga headquarters will be a test site for a new type of fuel cell electric generator designed by Bloom Energy.

Chattanooga was chosen because all the stars aligned. This alignment was the result of the friendship of Bloom Energy’s founder, a former colleague of his (now at the University of Tennessee) and two Tennessee legislators with ties to the Scenic City.

K.R. Sridhar, CEO of Bloom Energy, announced his company would install the latest version of their fuel cell generator in Chattanooga this year. The 100-kilowatt system will be capable of generating electricity using a variety of fuels, from natural gas to biomass, creating little or no emissions.

Sridhar says the breakthrough technology could “democratize” the electric grid. These smaller, more efficient generators could produce enough energy for the installation location, with excess sold back to the power company. Installations could be as small as a home generator, or large businesses could generate their own electricity and profit from selling off the excess.

Congressman Zach Wamp announced at the Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit that the project would be getting an infusion of federal funds. Wamp has been friends with Sridhar since the early days of the Summit, which began meeting more than 10 years ago.

Joe Ferguson, head of Special Projects for Chattanooga’s Enterprise Center, says that Wamp and Senator Bob Corker were instrumental in bringing this technology to the Tennessee Valley. “[They] were the ones that smelled it out,” he said. He also gives credit to Henry McDonald, who holds a chair of excellence at the University of Tennessee–Chattanooga’s National Center for Computational Engineering, better known as the SimCenter. McDonald was also a scientist with NASA, and a former colleague of Sridhar’s.

Two years ago a 5-kilowatt system was installed by Bloom Energy at the SimCenter, and it’s through the SimCenter federal funding will flow. The SimCenter will conduct the necessary analysis of the system once it’s installed.  EPB will contribute up to $100,000 to cover installation costs and operational costs. The test unit is scheduled for operation for one year, but might stay five years, depending on results.

Not only is Chattanooga the site for the test, but local officials hope that a manufacturing plant can be located here once the system is tested and proven marketable. There are still technological hurdles to overcome before making such extended plans, but Bloom appears to be on the path.

In the past, reliability has been an issue with fuel cell technology. In order to be used in a commercial installation, the generation of power must be dependable. The other concern is cost of raw fuels. Currently, the price of natural gas is still volatile. Whatever fuel is used, the supply must be abundant and affordable.

The EPB installation will run on natural gas, but should serve as a stable test platform.

The Tennessee Valley Authority also appears interested in the project. Although the technology could be seen as competition to the largest power generator in the country, TVA is interested in seeing it in action and analyzing the data collected from the tests.

TVA has recently announced plans to utilize a new, smaller nuclear plant designed by Virginia-based Babcock and Wilcox. The utility is considering the 12-megawatt units for use in the still-unfinished Bellfonte plant in North Alabama and at the abandoned Clinch River site in Oak Ridge.

If successful, the next installation of the fuel cell technology could be the one that’s marketed to the public—maybe even before the end of this year.

http://chattanoogapulse.com/newsfeatures/news-feature/news-feature-epb-fueling-new-expectations/

SOUTHBOROUGH, MA; Protonex Technology Corporation (LSE: AIM: PTX and PTXU), a leading provider of advanced fuel cell power systems for portable, remote and mobile applications, will be announcing its half-yearly results for the six months ended 31 March 2009 on Monday, 22 June 2009.

Protonex will also be presenting at Piper Jaffrey’s Fourth Annual European Conference in London on 23 June 2009, where a demonstration of its M250-B product will also take place. If you wish to attend, please visit www.piperjaffrey.com .

After harnessing wind and solar energy to power cell sites, Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) is set on deploying fuel cell technology as part of its “Alternative Power for Cell Sites” program.

Smart and a global fuel cell solutions provider successfully tested the earth-friendly power supply solution in its cell sites outside Manila.

“Using alternative power sources like fuel cells allows Smart to conduct its business with minimal impact on our environment, especially since we have the most number of cell sites spread throughout the country,” said Mario G. Tamayo, head of Smart’s Network and Platforms Services Division (NPSD).

Smart is initially planning to use fuel cell technology instead of diesel generator sets as backup power supply in six cell sites.

Once this happens, Smart will be the first telco in the Philippines to use fuel cell technology to power its cell sites.

Backup power source

Fuel cells convert chemical energy into electricity to generate power. Hydrogen, natural gas, or liquid methanol may be used for fuel cell solutions to work.

The fuel cell system that Smart recently tested is powered by a combination of 60 percent methanol and 40 percent water. Methanol fuel is eco-friendly since it is easily biodegradable, can be stored for a long time, and is easy to transport.

Smart is set to test other types of fuel cell solutions available in the market.

By replacing diesel generator sets with fuel cell technology, Smart not only reduces carbon emission and noise pollution, but also huge maintenance costs brought about by diesel prices and hauling expenses.
Fuel cell solutions are self-reliant, virtually maintenance-free, and environment-friendly.

System monitoring may be done remotely. Since the system is enclosed, any noise emitted is barely audible. Maintenance required would be the annual replacement of the air filters.

Once the fuel cell stack is due for replacement, it can be sent back to the supplier for recycling.

“The fuel cell solution we tested has a lifetime of about 2,000 to 4,000 operation hours.

This seems suitable if the fuel cell will only be used for backup power of a cell site,” said NPSD senior manager Jun Costes. “However, we are keen on seeing the developments that would take place in the fuel cell technology. Eventually, what would be most ideal is to have a fuel cell solution that would become the prime source of power for a cell site.”

Uninterrupted power supply

A feature of the recently tested fuel cell system is an on-demand conversion of hydrogen gas to generate power. When the grid is able to supply electricity to the cell site, the fuel cell system is on standby mode. The system does not use hydrogen cylinders, which eliminates safety concerns such as hydrogen leaks.

“When we tested the liquid fuel-powered fuel cell system, we noted that 200 liters of the liquid fuel can provide as much as 100 hours of 2.5KW power for smaller cell sites or up to 40 hours of 5KW power for the bigger cell sites,” said NPSD specialist Davidson Sevilleja.

For now, telecom companies eye fuel cells as a source of backup power. But as the demand for the technology increases in the next few years, fuel cells might eventually be the primary power source for cell sites as it proves to be cost-effective and environment-friendly.

To date, Smart has about 70 cell sites in different areas across the Philippines powered by renewable energy. Of this figure, 41 are run by wind energy while 29 are hybrid (using both wind and solar energy). An additional 40 hybrid-powered cell sites are scheduled to be deployed by the end of the year.

Smart started working with a local vendor in December 2006 to set up the Philippines’ first wind-powered cell site in Sitio Guimbitayan in Malapascua Island, an island northeast of Cebu province in the Visayas region.

In the latter part of 2008, a GSMA Development Fund survey of 25 mobile operators across the developing world that use renewable energy sources revealed that Smart is the leader among mobile network operators worldwide in using wind energy to power its cell sites.

Smart also won the newly introduced “Green Mobile Award” at the 2009 recent GSMA Awards in Barcelona, Spain for its program promoting the use of wind and solar energy to power cell sites in remote areas of the country.

Folsom, California–Jadoo Power Systems announced today a patent award for a “Forced Air Fuel Cell Power System”.  This patent extends Jadoo Power’s existing patent protection on forced air fuel cell power systems, which provide internal pressure regulation and fuel source hot-swap capabilities.

The patent addresses many configurations of Jadoo Power’s open cathode forced airflow design, which provides an air-cooled power system that is compatible with a wide range of fuels due to its built in pressure regulation.  The internal hydrogen reservoir allows for hot-swappablity without interruption in operation.

Jadoo Power’s fuel cell system architecture meets customer expectations for off-grid electrical power generation.  Battery chargers, emergency back-up power supplies and military mission-critical processes require high quality, rechargeable and reliable power when grid power is not available.  Jadoo Power’s fuel cell power system meets these demands with a clean-running and quiet power solution.

“This patent is one of many power system design configurations we have made over the years to provide real world operational advantages to meet our customers’ needs.  We continue to make innovations to our power system technology as advancements in the industry deliver new materials to reduce size, improve efficiencies and provide paths for cost reduction,” states Mack W. Knobbe, Jadoo Power’s Vice President of Engineering.

Fuel cell stacks incorporate an anode end for splitting hydrogen atoms into electrons and protons, a current bearing portion providing a pathway for the electrons, a medium such as a proton exchange membrane (PEM), and a cathode for rejoining electrons and protons into water molecules. With the addition of a fuel, a fuel cell power system can generate electricity over a longer time period than conventional batteries. Clean running and quiet, a Jadoo Power fuel cell power system delivers electricity on demand when and where it is needed most.

Details of the patent can be found at the US Patent Office online: http://www.uspto.gov/
Patent No.:  US 2008/008915 A1

About Jadoo Power
Jadoo Power is an industry leader in fuel cell technology and hybrid alternative power systems. Founded in 2001, Jadoo Power is grounded in technical expertise, product development and strategic partnerships. They deliver best-in-class hybrid fuel cell power solutions to commercial, business and military customers. Jadoo Power’s industry strengths include hybrid power systems and fuel solutions. They continue to lead the market in balance of plant technology, hold patents in fuel management and power systems and continue their advancements in better fuels, storage and fuel delivery, critical components of the hydrogen economy.  For more information on Jadoo Power please visit their website at http://www.jadoopower.com/

Sixteen hydrogen fuel cell Passat Lingyu cars, which were independently developed by China, were recently brought to the US to carry out six months of road testing and demonstration runs.

The cars have a top speed of 150 kilometers per hour, and will run for 300 kilometers once fully charged with hydrogen. They completed a 70 day pilot run during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics, and have traveled a total of nearly 80,000 kilometers.

The fuel cell operation demonstration project carried out in California on this occasion was held by California Fuel Cell Partnership Program, and was jointly sponsored by automobile enterprises, energy companies, fuel cell technology companies and governmental organizations.

The fuel cell cars were modeled on the Passat Lingyu produced by Shanghai Volkswagen, and fitted with a new-generation fuel cell power system jointly researched and developed by Shanghai Fuel Cell Vehicle Powertrain Co., Ltd., Tongji University and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).

The aim of the project is to set an example in actively coping with global climate change. The members of California Fuel Cell Partnership Program include Ford, Honda, GM, Toyota and Volkswagen amongst others.

* Co says stock option and incentive plan not approved

* Says largest stockholder did not vote on the proposal

June 17 (Reuters) – Fuel-cell maker Plug Power Inc (PLUG.O) said its shareholders rejected its stock option and incentive plan for the year.

The company said it did not get the required number of votes at the annual general meeting as its largest shareholder was present at the meeting by proxy and did not vote on the plan proposal.

Plug Power also said shareholders re-elected three incumbent directors in the meeting.

The company had originally convened its annual general meeting on May 20. The meeting had to be adjourned till June 17 to enable the company’s largest stockholder to decide on its vote.

Shares of the company closed at 94 cents Wednesday on Nasdaq.

BOTHELL, Wash. — NEAH Power Systems, Inc., (OTCBB:NPWS), the Company developing fuel cells for the military and portable electronic devices, announced today that Ed Cabrera, Executive Managing Director of New York-based Jesup & Lamont, has joined the Company’s board of directors.

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