UPS Systems’ Seminar Creates ‘Exciting Times’ for Fuel Cell Industry
Hungerford, Berkshire, United Kingdom– UPS Systems has announced that 67% of delegates have changed their opinion of fuel cells because of its seminar – Fuel cells…real world applications for business – and warn that there are very exciting times ahead for the UK fuel cell industry.
UPS Systems seminar was a unique event providing organisations with an insight into the commercial applications for fuel cell technology, featuring case studies to highlight the business benefits of fuel cells.
Where other fuel cell events have in the past focused on technical and academic discussions about technology, UPS Systems’ event brought together some of the industry’s leading manufacturers to discuss the practical application of the latest products. Throughout the course of the day, delegates heard presentations from UPS Systems plc, SFC, Hydrogenics, BOC, ACAL Energy and FCT Consulting.
There were also displays and demonstrations of the latest commercial fuel cell products, including the Hymera from BOC, EFOY Pro 2200 from SFC, 600W generator from IRD, HyPM from Hydrogenics and REMO from UPS Systems.
“The event was a great success with over 70 delegates attending from all around the UK,” said UPS Systems’ Marketing Manager, Roger Foggitt. “The feedback we received from the delegates was really positive – 66% rated the seminar as ‘excellent’ with the remainder rating it as ‘good’. Furthermore, 67% of delegates said the seminar had changed their opinion of fuel cells – a huge achievement and testament to the hard work from our speakers on the day.”
Bob Longman, V P Engineering at ACAL Energy, and one of the speakers at the seminar, said: “It is to UPS Systems’ credit that they are evangelising fuel cell technology on behalf of the industry in the UK. Our own technology is not ready for mass-market adoption yet but there are certainly a growing number of markets that can benefit from the products on show at the event.”
Another speaker at the seminar, Dr Jonathan Butler, Senior Market Analyst at FCT Consulting commented: “The fact that there is so much interest in the seminar is testament to the fact that there is a genuine market opportunity for fuel cell technology in the UK. And we have some genuine pockets of industrial, commercial and R&D expertise in the UK, which are characterised by some of the companies presenting at UPS Systems’ event.”
UPS Systems Managing Director, Tom Sperrey commented: “There has been a definite shift in the UK fuel cell industry. Last year we were educating the market about what fuel cells are and the benefits they have to offer organisations. This year it’s clear that people are ready to buy and actively looking for the best solution to meet their needs. Since the seminar, we have already taken new orders, and received several enquiries from companies wishing to adopt fuel cell technology. I think 2010 could turn out to be a momentous year for fuel cells with very exciting times ahead for the industry.”
UPS Systems plc (upssystems.co.uk) is the UK’s largest independent supplier of standby power solutions. Through its independent position, allied to close working relationships with the world’s leading manufacturers, the company is uniquely able to offer impartial technical advice on the widest range of standby power solutions. An authority on fuel cell technology, UPS Systems implemented the UK’s first two hydrogen fuel cells providing AC standby power, and is currently working on projects where the technology will be used for the supply of backup or prime power to utilities, telecommunications, remote telemetry, portable signage and renewable energy applications.
ACAL Energy is a developer of a new fuel cell technology that will enable low cost and highly reliable fuel cell systems for a wide variety of applications. The company was founded in August 2004 by FlowCath® inventor Dr Andrew Creeth and is headquartered in Runcorn, UK.
Fuel cells are a highly efficient and clean energy production technology capable of replacing combustion engines in applications including remote and distributed power and residential cogeneration, as well as automotive and mobile power applications. FlowCath® replaces the expensive precious metal catalyst found in conventional fuel cells with a proprietary low cost liquid catalyst. This not only reduces the cost of the fuel cell, but also provides significant durability and reliability benefits through system simplification and the elimination of the most common failure mechanisms found in standard fuel cells.
FCT Consulting is a dedicated consulting company with a unique positioning covering the global fuel cell and hydrogen industry. FCT Consulting was formed to help companies, governments, and NGOs navigate their way around or over obstacles by providing high quality, independent, and rigorous information on a variety of issues currently facing the fuel cell industry.
