FuelCellsWorks

PARIS–

Significant enhancements in the simulation of automotive fuel cell performance were presented to the Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program and Vehicle Technologies Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting today. This program seeks to improve the ability to use simulation to conduct a detailed study of how various fuel cell component structures and properties affect the gas and water transport in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Engineers from ESI North America have been an integral part of this project during the last three years.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells can be utilized as a zero-emission power source for many transportation applications. The most critical technical challenges facing the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles are cost reduction, durability, water management, freeze tolerance and power density.

“Virtual prototyping using advanced multi-physics simulation to understand the complex interactions of physical phenomenon is a required supporting technology to bring commercially viable fuel cell vehicles to the mass market” said Joseph Strelow, Director and Chief Engineer of Government Programs at ESI North America. “The electrochemical reactions, the concentrations of performance degrading pollutants, and their impact on the durability of cell structures cannot be measured directly in a functioning fuel cell. Available simulation options have lacked the ability to represent the precise physics necessary for further advancements in performance. We are proud to be working with our industry and academic partners, with the support of the Department of Energy, to resolve these fundamental issues.”

The activities presented included the results of additional experimental validation of the ESI water transport models in the gas diffusion layers, channels, and across interfaces. This improved understanding of water transport allowed new concepts to remove water and control its distribution to be evaluated. Further integration of the water management simulations with existing electrochemistry and heat transfer models was undertaken as well, creating a solution to study increasing power densities and transient performance.

This four year project was started in 2007 with a total budget of $6.4M. The work is a collaboration of seven technologies, industrial and academic partners. Today was the final mid-program review. The project is expected to be completed in May 2011.

For more information on ESI’s applications for the Energy and Power Generation industry, visit: http://www.esi-group.com/industries/energy-power.

NREL group manager Keith Wipke and senior engineers Jennifer Kurtz and Todd Ramsden are superimposed on a histogram showing fuel cell voltage change over time. Credit: Pat Corkery

Forklifts hoist, stack and stow a big chunk of the nation’s goods, and have been doing so for 90 years, powered by gasoline and electricity.

Hydrogen fuel cells are much newer, yet already proving themselves in early markets, with the goal of one day providing clean, safe renewable energy to the nation’s and the world’s transportation fleet.

Warehouse workhorses of the 20th century meet the most intriguing fuel of the 21st.

In warehouses across the nation, hydrogen fuel cells are being tested in forklifts, to see how the emerging technology fares compared to conventional batteries in cost, performance and safety.

How well hydrogen fuel cells perform in forklifts and in other early-market applications such as backup emergency power, stationary power and portable power is a key step. If they prove themselves, that will accelerate the development, manufacturing and cost-reduction necessary for their widespread use the automobile industry and elsewhere.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is playing a crucial role, as the independent, third-party assessor of the performance of the early fuel cell market demonstrations funded by DOE.

Indispensable to that effort is the Hydrogen Secure Data Center (HSDC) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. A team of NREL engineers is gathering data from a dozen early users of hydrogen fuel cells, assessing how well the fuel cell systems fare in the real world, with a focus on performance, operation and safety. They began analyzing data from fuel cell vehicles in 2005.

The testing is such a priority of the Department of Energy that a year ago in April 2009 it offered approximately $42 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money for sites to install and operate fuel cell units in real world applications.

The dozen companies selected for the grants collectively put up $51 million of their own money, making it a $93 million project.

The project awards include four that are testing forklifts, four that are testing backup power, one that is testing combined power and heat, one that is testing auxiliary power and two that are testing portable power.

The NREL group is working with fuel cell and hydrogen developers as well as end users across the country.

Hydrogen Keeps Forklifts Moving

Forklifts capable of operating in hot or cold conditions are ready for use at a Sysco warehouse in Houston. NREL engineers are analyzing the operation and performance of these fuel cell forklifts and others elsewhere.
Credit: Jennifer Kurtz

Some 90,000 new forklifts are manufactured yearly and delivered to warehouses from Maine to Hawaii. Their average cost exceeds $15,000.

Electric-powered forklifts are a big improvement over the gasoline-powered lift trucks of the 1940s and 1950s – just ask the operators who breathed gas fumes trapped in narrow warehouse aisles.

But there are some performance limitations of battery forklifts, such as voltage sag as the batteries’ state of charge decreases. Early in the shift, there’s plenty of power in a fully charged battery, but the forklift slows down as the battery drains. When the performance gets too slow the battery has to be changed. That means keeping a battery always in reserve, and it means about 20 minutes of downtime while the switch is made.

Efficiency-driven companies such as the food-supply giant Sysco lose money each minute a forklift is down.

Hydrogen fuel cells, by contrast, deliver a constant flow of energy. Refueling takes about three to five minutes, versus the 15 to 20 minutes it takes to change out a battery, says Jennifer Kurtz, team leader for NREL’s ARRA Early Fuel Cell Market Demonstration and Validation Project.

NREL’s data analysis helps Sysco and the other companies understand how the fuel cell and hydrogen units are performing along with comparisons with competing technologies.

Productivity Equals Profit in the Forklift Business

A forklift-intensive warehouse “looks like chaos” to an outsider, but the operation is effectively organized for productivity, Kurtz said. “They have productivity measures, such as how much material is moved per eight-hour shift,” Kurtz said. So, a forklift that doesn’t slow down as the hours pass, or a forklift that can be refueled in four minutes, rather than have its battery replaced in 20 minutes, can have a positive impact on productivity.

“Even if it comes down to one minute of productivity gain, that’s a noticeable improvement for warehouses where forklift use is really maxed out,” Kurtz said.

“It’s been a great partnership,” said Katrina Fritz Intwala, vice president of business development and government relations for Plug Power, which sells fuel cells for forklifts, stationary power and other uses.

“NREL is very collaborative, we have meaningful back-and-forth discussions on their data that is very useful for us to see how our units are operating in the field. They gather information on how our units are fueled, when they’re filled, what’s the run time on the fuel, how long our units run between fuelings, to what pressure are they fueled. We’re able to get a better understanding of how our customers are using our products and how they’re performing.”

Also useful for Plug Power is seeing how their fuel cells compare to battery packs or internal-combustion engines.

Fuel Cells for Emergency Backup Power

NREL’s Early Fuel Cell Market Demonstration and Validation Project is analyzing hydrogen fuel cell performance for approximately 1,000 fuel cell units installed across the United States.

The fuel cells also are being tested by organizations that have crucial needs for backup power such as telecommunications and emergency responders.

Typically, that backup power is supplied by diesel, but organizations are eager to explore the advantages of fuel cells.

Mark Cohen, director of product management for ReliOn, said the NREL data “provides more credibility to a customer” than merely having the manufacturer produce its own data to extol the virtues of the product.

He said the partnership, together with the ARRA money, will help accelerate the rate at which his company’s hydrogen fuel cells are deployed for backup power in critical communications settings, “while clearly demonstrating the performance and environmental benefits of the technology.”

Indispensable Information while Guarding Secrets

NREL’s HSDC had to find a way to deliver useful information to the companies without betraying their internal secrets.

“We protect the proprietary data by creating composite data projects,” Kurtz said. (HSDC results are online) “The data are aggregated across all the project partners.” That way, each company can see its own data, and how it compares with the aggregate data, but can’t hone in on a competitor’s specifics. “It’s a way of having commercially sensitive data reported on, without revealing a company’s proprietary information,” Kurtz said.

If fuel cells prove efficient and are adapted widely in transportation and emergency services, they are expected to generate tens of thousands of jobs in manufacturing and maintenance.

They also will help end dependence on foreign oil and keep hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

Learn more about NREL’s hydrogen and fuel cells work and hydrogen technology validation.

— Bill Scanlon

PORTLAND, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ClearEdge Power, a global provider of microCHP (combined heat and power) fuel cells systems today announced an exclusive, three-year distribution agreement for the ClearEdge5 system with LS Industrial Systems, a 1.5 billion (USD) Korea-based company focused on electric power generation, distribution and automation worldwide. The 40 million (USD) agreement will focus on the sale, distribution and service for over 800 ClearEdge5 fuel cell units in Korea.

After a worldwide, exhaustive review by LSIS the ClearEdge5 five kW system was chosen for its high efficiency, high temperature hybrid PEM design. The system leverages the availability of the natural gas or directed biogas infrastructure to offer buildings a source of base-load power that is created on-site. Without burning fuels as other conventional systems do, the ClearEdge5 reduces carbon emissions by more than 35% while reducing energy requirements and costs for customers. The system is self-contained and requires a minimal footprint for installation and service and is safe and quiet enough for residential or highly populated areas.

“ClearEdge Power offers available alternative energy options on a global scale that will change power generation for decades to come,” said CEO and President of ClearEdge Power, Russell Ford. “We are proud to partner with LSIS where together we can offer the country of Korea a broad platform on which to build a cleaner energy environment.”

“With the recent federal Korean legislation, which encourages new buildings to begin using alternative power sources such as fuel cells to reduce the carbon footprint,” said Senior Executive Vice President for the Electric Power Group Jong-Woong Choe, “the ClearEdge5 is well-sized for the Korean market. The proven ClearEdge Power technology and its unique design make the proprietary fuel cell platform a foundational solution we can offer to our customers now and into the future.”

LSIS, which was created from the LG Group and re-launched as the LS GROUP in 2005, will integrate the ClearEdge5 fuel cell as a clean alternative energy option for over 80% of Korea’s energy customers. The company, focused on solutions that maximize energy efficiency, applications in the automation field, and green solutions, is partnered with the Korean government to offer energy solutions and services nationwide.

About ClearEdge Power

With facilities in California and Oregon, ClearEdge Power is a privately held, technology company leading the way for smarter, cleaner on-site energy systems focused on commercial, institutional and residential buildings. The company designs, manufactures and markets the ClearEdge5 system, a unique, proven fuel cell appliance that cleanly converts natural gas to electricity and heat, offering both significant financial and energy savings, as well as a greatly reduced impact on the global environment. The ClearEdge Power corporate management systems are certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. For more information, please visit http://www.clearedgepower.com.

About LS Industrial Systems

LS Industrial Systems is a leading, global company servicing the industrial electric & automation fields. The organization is focused on providing their customers with total solutions. As a company, they strive to provide distinctive and eco-friendly products that present a “win-win strategy” in a variety of fields including Power Transmission & Distribution; Electric Equipment; Automation Equipment & Systems and Industrial IT Systems.

LS Industrial Systems is currently developing and applying future technology to their customers’ needs with deep consideration and innovative thinking to offer the highest standards of digital industrial electronic machinery and systems possible. In the future, the company plans on further developing its business portfolio to focus on; energy solutions for the information technology market; ubiquitous RFIP infrastructures, power semiconductors, wired/wireless communication, USN and sensors, the industrial infrastructure needed for hybrid car ESA, new & renewable energy sources, and total business automation. Please visit http://eng.lsis.biz/, for more information about LS Industrial Systems.

Horizon Fuel Cell Stacks used at NASA

San Diego – June 7, 2010. nuMeridian, the San Diego based Fuel Cell brokerage and marketing firm, recently sold NASA an H-200 fuel cell for electronic control research at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. In recent months, NASA purchased three, H-200 – 200 watt proton exchange membrane fuel cell stacks.

Fuel Cells have been used by NASA since the Apollo missions and continue to be an important source of power on today’s Space Shuttles. Future spacecraft will almost certainly use fuel cells to help provide power and heat for tomorrow’s interstellar vehicles.

These fuel cell stacks are similar to the type used in hydrogen vehicles being developed by Honda, Ford, BMW and others. The stacks are air-breathing, air-cooled and self-humidified making them simple and easily integrated into custom design applications.

The H-series PEM fuel cell stacks are ideal for research environments where simplicity is key. H-series fuel cells are the most compact, light-weight and cost effective PEM fuel cells on the market. They are readily available in power outputs ranging from 12 Watts up to 5000 Watts and in custom configurations as requested.

For more information on H-series fuel cell stacks please contact Kyle Stewart
kyle@horizonfuelcell.com for details.

About nuMeridian –

Founded in 2009 and based in San Diego, CA nuMeridian is dedicated to providing our clients with world class services for sales, marketing and distribution for fuel cell related technologies.

Fuel cell manufacturers interested in learning more about how nuMeridian can help promote your fuel cell products can find more information at www.numeridian.com.

Intelligent Energy CEO, Dr. Henri Winand with London Deputy Mayor, Kit Malthouse, at unveiling of Fuel Cell Black Cab at City Hall (Photo Business Wire)

LONDON–Intelligent Energy, Lotus Engineering, LTI Vehicles and TRW Conekt, with funding from the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board, today unveiled a full performance, zero-emissions Fuel Cell Hybrid London taxi.

While the taxi looks and drives like an iconic London black cab, the Fuel Cell Black Cab is powered by an Intelligent Energy hydrogen fuel cell system hybridised with lithium polymer batteries; allowing the vehicle to operate for a full day without the need for refuelling. Capable of achieving a top speed of over 80 mph, it has a range of more than 250 miles on a full tank of hydrogen, refuels in about 5 minutes and produces no emissions other than water vapour.

London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Chair of the London Hydrogen Partnership, Kit Malthouse, who unveiled the zero emissions fuel cell hybrid taxi at London’s City Hall, said, “The black cab is a much loved London icon, but it is also a significant source of pollution especially in the centre of the city. This prototype Fuel Cell Black Cab, which emits only water from its tailpipe, is an exciting glimpse of how hydrogen technology could soon play a vital role in cleaning up air quality for urban dwellers.”

Later this year, Transport for London will start operating five hydrogen-fuel cell buses, and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has committed to working with manufacturers to make all taxis operating in London zero tail-pipe emissions by 2020.

For the Fuel Cell Black Cab unveiled at City Hall, Lotus Engineering has packaged the full propulsion system including the fuel cell engine and has designed control systems to optimise performance of both the fuel cells and electric drive systems. TRW Conekt led the safety analysis programme, including braking and steering systems, and LTI has provided donor vehicles to assist with the structural modifications to the chassis of the taxis.

The first hackney-carriage licences date from 1662 and apply literally to horse-drawn carriages that operated as vehicles for hire. The black cab that most people associate with London taxis was the Austin FX4, introduced in 1959. The model, with many modifications over the years, remained in production until 1997, making it one of the longest running production vehicles in history. The Intelligent Energy fuel cell system has been integrated into the most recent LTI TX4 design, and fits in to the vehicle without intrusion into its internal or luggage space.

“The Fuel Cell Black Cab is a hackney-carriage fit for the 21^st Century and its ever larger urban centres, where the reclamation of good air quality matters hugely to all of us. The LTI TX4 is an internationally recognised and iconic symbol of London, and to put an entirely new fuel cell hybrid electric zero emissions ‘engine’ into the existing vehicle design in such a short amount of time and still deliver performance, refuelling speeds and range, is a fantastic achievement for all the companies involved,” explained Dr. Henri Winand, CEO at Intelligent Energy. “We now look towards the introduction of the first fleet of these vehicles into London for 2012. The launch today at City Hall demonstrates that we are well on course to achieving this goal.”

About:

Intelligent Energy is a clean power systems company, with a range of leading fuel cell and hydrogen generation technologies. The company is focused on the provision of cleaner power and low carbon technologies.

Lotus Engineering is an internationally recognised automotive engineering consultancy based in Norfolk, UK.

LTI Vehicles is Britain’s premier manufacturer of purpose-built taxis, including the ‘black cab’, the icon of the world’s best taxi system.

Technology Strategy Board is a business-led executive non-departmental public body, established by the government.

London Hydrogen Partnership, chaired by Kit Malthouse, recently published an action plan detailing ways to help accelerate the wider use of this zero-polluting, zero-carbon energy in the capital.

TRW Conekt has over 50 years experience in advanced product development, application engineering and validation services.

The Fuel Cell Hybrid Taxi unveiled today is not yet commercially available and is presently undergoing track and road-testing prior to wider deployment. The vehicle will also need to meet the London Public Carriage Office conformity for use as taxi on public roads.

The Technology Strategy Board’s Lead Technologist for Low Carbon Vehicles, Andrew Everett said, “This is a great demonstration of the way that the Technology Strategy Board helps business to be innovative. In providing just under £5.5M towards a programme to develop and embed fuel cell hybrid technology into the London Black Cab we have helped the consortia take steps towards applying this new technology into new markets.”

BEND, OR – IdaTech (AIM: IDA), a global leader in the development and manufacture of clean and reliable extended run backup power fuel cell products, is exhibiting its next generation ElectraGen™ ME fuel cell system at the 2010 International Telecommunications Energy Conference (Intelec) in Orlando, Florida.Intelec is an annual conference which examines and analyzes the latest developments in telecommunications energy systems and related power processing devices. The four-day exhibition is a perfect showcase to present the latest technological developments and product innovations for backup power fuel cells.

Participating for the sixth year, IdaTech will display its next generation ElectraGen™ ME Fuel Cell System — a five kilowatt fully integrated solution that provides clean reliable extended run backup power for telecom base stations. The newest member of the ElectraGen™ product family of fuel cell systems that can be powered by hydrogen gas or by IdaTech’s proprietary fuel reformer system which converts liquid fuel (methanol-water) into high-purity hydrogen onsite as needed, ElectraGen™ ME is a liquid fueled system that provides +24 or -48 VDC backup power for telecommunications applications. It replaces and/or augments traditional solutions such as batteries and diesel generators, but with greater reliability and significantly reduced maintenance. The ElectraGen™ ME Fuel Cell will be available in production quantity end of this year.

Visit IdaTech at the Hilton-Orlando, Bonnett Creek Resort, booth#205, during the Intelec Conference, June 6-9th in Orlando, Florida.

About IdaTech

IdaTech plc is an advanced fuel cell products company which is operationally headquartered in Bend, Oregon, USA and is listed on AIM with the ticker code IDA. IdaTech designs, develops, and manufactures extended run backup power fuel cell products for Telecom applications requiring 100 W to 15 kW of backup power. IdaTech’s unique PEM fuel cell technology provides solutions for a wide range of applications to directly support efforts towards sustainable energy. IdaTech’s portfolio of industry-certified fuel cell products are based on the company’s fuel processing, purification and fuel cell system integration capabilities. With the support of strategic partners and customers, the company’s extended run backup power products are being deployed worldwide for stationary applications.

Additional information may be obtained by contacting the company direct or by visiting its website at http://www.idatech.com.

Singapore’s first eco-friendly bus is completed and will transport athletes and officials around the Youth Olympic Village located at the Yunnan Garden Campus of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in August. The inaugural Youth Olympic Games will be held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010. The hybrid fuel cell-battery bus is a joint research project by NTU and China’s Tsinghua University and marks another major step forward in NTU’s sustainability research and development.

At the completion ceremony in Beijing this morning together with Prof Gu Binglin, the President of Tsinghua University, NTU’s President, Prof Su Guaning said: “This fuel cell bus project is an excellent symbol of the friendship between NTU and Tsinghua University and our respect and care for the environment. Sustainability research is a key thrust for NTU.

“There is an urgent need globally to find new solutions in sustainability and energy research and as responsible global citizens, we all have a part to play. By combining our strengths, we can make greater progress and headway, as evidenced by the speed at which this joint project was accomplished.”

A team of engineers and researchers from both universities has been developing the hybrid fuel cell-battery bus in China since last November.  The bus uses a hybrid fuel cell and battery system which allows it to generate and store energy on board. The fuel cell acts as an “energy converter” that transforms hydrogen and oxygen – chemical energy sources – into electricity, which powers the bus.

Unlike conventional buses that run on diesel fuel, it has zero carbon emission and only clean water and heat are released.

The bus, completed in just seven months, has been tested in Suzhou where it was built and will be shipped over to Singapore in June 2010. It will undergo test runs in Singapore and be fine-tuned, in preparation of its maiden run during the Youth Olympic Games.

This project is supported by Singapore’s Land Transport Authority as well as Singapore bus company SBS Transit in an effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and develop a more energy-efficient model of public transportation for the future.

Hitachi Zosen Corp. and Finland’s Wartsila OYJ will jointly develop fuel cells for sale to companies seeking to cut carbon-dioxide emissions, the Nikkei newspaper reported today, without saying where it obtained the information. Hitachi Zosen aims to offer by 2014 a 50-kilowatt solid-oxide fuel cell with twice the power-generating efficiency of home-use fuel cells, the newspaper said. The two companies already work together on engines for ships and power generation, it said.

Ballard Power Systems, a Canadian fuel-cell maker, says its Chief Financial Officer Bruce Cousins is leaving to pursue other interests, effective June 14.

He will be replaced by Tony Guglielmin, the company said Thursday. Guglielmin was most recently CFO at Canada Line Rapid Transit Inc.

Researchers recently realized that some microbes found in activated sludge cultures shed electrons. By promoting the growth of these cultures in the lab, these microbial fuel cells can actually generate current which can be captured at an anode like a battery. One of the first researchers to develop this concept was Bruce Logan, a 2004 Paul L. Busch award recipient. He developed the microbial fuel cell concept using bacteria which feed on carbon and has scaled his system up from the lab to be able to treat winery waste at full scale.

While domestic wastewater plants have not yet employed this concept to treat wastewater and generate power, there is considerable interest in this promising idea. WERF researcher Dr. Nancy Love examined nitrifying bacteria and explored the possibility that microbial fuels cells can be better performers. Her research is now available in the new WERF report Development of a Microbial Fuel Cell for Sustainable Wastewater Treatment (No. U1R06). More research is ongoing under WERF’s Optimization program to scale microbial fuel cells up to pilot-sized treatment of domestic wastewater.

For more information on this research, please contact WERF Program Director Lauren Fillmore.

Expanding Credit Would Provide Boost, Creating Jobs Locally and Across State

LATHAM, N.Y.– Plug Power Inc. (Nasdaq:PLUG), a leader in providing clean, reliable energy solutions, highlights progressive legislation unveiled by Senator Charles Schumer to amend section 30B of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, also knows as the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit (AMVC).  The proposed legislation expands the definition of “fuel cell motor vehicle” to include fuel cell-powered material handling vehicles.

Expansion of this tax credit directly benefits Plug Power’s GenDrive™ product suite, developed and manufactured at its Latham, NY headquarters.  GenDrive is a superior alternative to lead-acid batteries as a power source for electric lift trucks. By converting operations to GenDrive hydrogen fuel cell power solutions, customers are able to increase productivity and lower operating costs with only heat and water as a byproduct.  Extending financial incentives to material handling vehicles will help facilitate large-scale conversions to green technology at manufacturing and distribution centers across the country.

Senator Schumer’s legislation would provide Plug Power and its suppliers with a significant boost and could create up to hundreds of jobs locally and through the state.  ”Senator Schumer’s progressive legislation sheds light on the remarkable affects that fuel cell market growth can bring to New York State,” said Andy Marsh, CEO at Plug Power.  ”By helping to commercialize sustainable fuel cell power solutions, thousands of green jobs will be created in manufacturing, engineering and the supply chain.”

“We have one of the world’s preeminent manufacturers of fuel cells right here, but due to arbitrary federal regulations, it is not able to compete on a level playing field,” said Schumer.  “That has to change.  Fuel cells save energy and help the environment regardless of whether they’re attached to a car or a forklift, and they should be treated equally.  By leveling the playing field, we have the potential to create hundreds of jobs here in the Capital Region, but also at fuel cell parts manufacturers all over the state.”

This proposed legislation was announced at a press conference held on Plug Power’s 37,000 sq. ft. manufacturing floor on Wednesday, June 2.  Also in attendance was Congressman Paul Tonko.  Tonko introduced a similar piece of legislation, the Fuel Cell Industrial Vehicle Jobs Act of 2010, on April 28, 2010.

“Fuel cell technology has gained widespread traction in the material handling industry because of the efficiency and productivity gains that are realized,” said Congressman Tonko.  ”Improving incentives for large scale conversions to this clean technology will lead to new investment and new jobs at companies like Plug Power in Latham.  I will continue to work with Senator Schumer on these common sense solutions that will create jobs and promote the use of clean energy.”

About Plug Power Inc.

The architects of modern fuel cell technology, Plug Power revolutionized the industry with cost-effective power solutions that increase productivity, lower operating costs and reduce carbon footprints.  Long-standing relationships with industry leaders forged the path for our key accounts, including Wegmans, Whole Foods, and FedEx Freight.  With more than 1,000 units in the field and over 1.5 million hours of runtime, Plug Power manufactures tomorrow’s incumbent power solutions today.  Visit us at www.plugpower.com.

Enters Into Contract With PG&E to Deliver 2.8 MW

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 that Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has ordered two 1.4 Megawatt DFC1500 fuel cell power plants to install as utility-owned fuel cells on the campuses of California State University East Bay – Hayward Hills (CSU – East Bay) and San Francisco State University (SFSU). The total value of these contracts is approximately $12.6 million, which will include engineering, procurement and construction services for the installation of the power plants.

This order follows the recent approval by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for PG&E to pursue utility owned fuel cell installations at two California universities. The CPUC approval acknowledged that the installation of fuel cells on university campuses will help to advance the development and understanding of fuel cell technology. Further, the CPUC noted the important role of fuel cells in the State’s future energy mix, as illustrated by the support of Governor Schwarzenegger for fuel cell projects.

“Just as California is serving as a model for the rest of the nation in enacting ambitious policies to reduce climate change and our dependency on oil, these partnerships are also leading the way in moving us toward a cleaner, more sustainable future,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “Fuel cells are another great resource to provide clean and efficient energy while reducing emissions. I applaud all of these groups for coming together and working towards a shared solution of helping to power these campuses with clean energy.”

The fuel cell power plants will be configured to utilize the by-products of the fuel cell energy conversion process, including waste heat and waste water to meet campus needs. CSU East Bay plans to utilize the waste heat for heating a swimming pool and utilize the waste water for landscape irrigation. SFSU plans to utilize the waste heat for facility management. The fuel cell plants are expected to be operational in 2011. In conjunction with the installation of the fuel cell power plants, the state universities are expected to incorporate fuel cell technology into their respective curriculums to teach students and the public about the benefits of fuel cell systems.

“We are excited to be working with PG&E to be providing a utility owned power generation solution that is highly efficient and ultra-clean,” commented R. Daniel Brdar, Chairman and CEO of FuelCell Energy, Inc. ”Universities are an ideal location for our fuel cell power plants, particularly with the Combined Heat & Power (CHP) application that captures the heat byproduct for use by the university. This type of CHP application has attained efficiency levels approaching 80%, well above alternate methods for generating electricity.”

About FuelCell Energy

DFC® fuel cells are generating power at over 50 locations worldwide. The Company’s power plants have generated over 500 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

Schumer Legislation Would Expand Existing Tax Break to Cover Fuel Cells for Forklifts-Could Create Hundreds of Jobs

Current U.S. Tax Law Gives Boost to Fuel Cells Designed for Cars and Trucks – But It Excludes Fuel Cells For Forklifts and Other Off-Highway Vehicles

Schumer Legislation Would Expand Fuel Cell Tax Credit, Allow Plug Power to Compete on Equal Playing Field

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, joined by Congressman Paul Tonko, revealed that federal tax law gives short shrift to companies like Plug Power that build fuel cells designed for forklifts and other heavy machinery. An existing tax credit provides significant incentives to buyers of fuel cells for cars and trucks, but that credit does not include fuel cells designed for heavy machinery and off-highway vehicles. Today, Schumer unveiled legislation to expand the tax credit so it will cover the GenDrive fuel cells that Plug Power manufactures. Expanding the credit would provide Plug Power and its suppliers with a significant boost and could create up to hundreds of jobs locally and throughout the state. Schumer said that these types of fuel cells are big business and a major part of Plug Power’s future.

“We have one of the world’s preeminent manufacturers of fuel cells right here, but due to arbitrary federal regulations, it is not able to compete on a level playing field,” said Schumer.  “That has to change.  Fuels cells save energy and help the environment regardless of whether they’re attached to a car or a forklift, and they should be treated equally.  By leveling the playing field, we have the potential to create hundreds of jobs here in the Capital Region, but also at fuel cell parts manufactures all over the state.”

“Fuel cell technology has gained widespread traction in the material handling industry because of the efficiency and productivity gains that are realized,” said Congressman Paul Tonko. “Improving incentives for large scale conversions to this clean technology will lead to new investment and new jobs at companies like Plug Power in Latham. I will continue to work with Senator Schumer on these common sense solutions that will create jobs and promote the use of clean energy.”

“Senator Schumer’s progressive legislation sheds light on the remarkable affects that fuel cell market growth can bring to New York State,” said Andy Marsh, CEO at Plug Power Inc. “By helping to commercialize sustainable fuel cell power solutions, thousands of green jobs will be created in manufacturing, engineering and supply chain.”

Schumer’s proposal would amend section 30B of the Energy Policy Act of 2005- the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit (AMVC) to expand the definition of “motor vehicle” to include heavy machinery and off-highway vehicles made with fuel cells, like the ones manufactured at Plug Power. The proposal would also require that manufacturers producing vehicles of less 8,500 pounds are eligible for the same tax credit that manufacturers of larger machinery receive. Extending the tax credit to buyers of these fuel cell products would boost an industry that is a proven job creator in New York State. By incentivizing the purchase of these vehicles, the legislation would allow local businesses like Plug Power to ramp up their operations and potentially add jobs. The Department of Energy currently estimates that the domestic fuel cell industry will create 40,000 jobs over the next ten years, but those jobs could be at risk if more domestic producers are not allowed the AMVC credit. Passing the tax credit will mean a break of between $8,000 and $40,000 for buyers.

Plug Power currently houses its national headquarters in Latham where it employs over 100 New Yorkers with plans to hire more. During 2010 the company intends to increase its workforce by 20% and has already begun to emerge as a national leader in fuel cell development. Since 1997, the company has worked to provide clean and renewable energy for customers worldwide by manufacturing fuel cells. Specifically, the company has become a national leader in the manufacturing of fuel cells for alternative commercial and industrial off-highway vehicles like forklifts.

Importantly, the success of companies like Plug Power have ripple effects throughout the economy, and it is important to consider this as the economic benefits of the tax credits are considered.  For example, Plug Power spends approximately $1.75 million on a total of 37 NY small business suppliers each year, and this figure is expected to double in 2010 and quadruple in 2011.

Schumer said that this legislation would also benefit a number of other New York companies, particularly the Raymond Corporation in Greene and Onondaga Counties, and Praxair in Tonawanda, in Western New York.  Raymond currently employees approximately 1,110 people at their Greene, NY and East Syracuse, NY facilities.  Praxair currently employs 1,100 people at their Tonawanda, NY facility.  They recently identified green hydrogen production as an area for market expansion and green job growth.  Both companies produce fuel cells for heavy machinery.

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with water and heat as its by-product.  As long as fuel is supplied, the fuel cell will continue to generate power.  Since the conversion of the fuel to energy takes place via an electrochemical process, not combustion, the process is clean, quiet and highly efficient – two to three times more efficient than fuel burning.

According to assessments by the National Academies and the Hydrogen Technical Advisory Committee, fuel cell technology is not only meeting and exceeding the government’s long-term research and development plan, but it is also on track to achieve commercial viability by 2015. As the U.S. considers pathways to achieve aggressive goals for gas and greenhouse gas reductions, it is critical to develop diverse technological options, like fuel cells.

Other countries are aggressively pursuing hydrogen and fuel cells including Japan and Germany, which plan early commercialization in 2015. The U.S. is currently a leader in automotive fuel cell technology, but must continue to invest in this research to remain a leader, particularly in places like the Capital Region. Right now, the region is an emerging national hub for clean energy technologies and is home to production plants like Plug Power that employ many New Yorkers. Passing Schumer’s legislation would allow manufacturers like Plug Power to potentially add hundreds of jobs.

Arcola Theatre debuts spin-off venture that promises to bring an end to the festival season’s dirty energy secret

hey may be a great forum for freewheeling and idealistic environmental thinking, but it turns out most festivals are anything but green. Leaving aside the litter and the carbon footprint associated with thousands of revellers traveling to one site, each of the summer’s festivals will rely on hundreds of diesel generators to power the stages, tents and food stands.

But now London theatre company Arcola is looking to tackle the problem with the development of a zero-emission fuel cell-powered lighting rig that promises to provide the UK’s first low-carbon theatre and concert experience.

The Dalston-based theatre has launched a spin-off firm, Arcola Energy, that has just completed its first fuel cell system with the aid of a £27,000 grant from the UK’s Technology Strategy Board and it is now expected to be used at this summer’s Latitude Festival in Suffolk.

Speaking to BusinessGreen.com, Arcola Energy executive director Dr Ben Todd said the company had integrated technology from fuel cell developer and hydrogen supplier BOC and theatrical lighting specialist White Light to deliver a portable system for lighting technicians working in theatres, concert venues and festivals.

“We’ve taken off-the-shelf fuel cell technology and low-energy LED lights, added industry-standard connectors, control panels and battery backup power, and packed it all up in a standard flight case,” he explained, adding that the use of LED lights meant that a full lighting rig could be powered using one 150 watt fuel cell.

The company believes that even using hydrogen produced from natural gas the system will cut carbon emissions by between 60 and 80 per cent compared to diesel generators, while also cutting noise levels and onsite pollution.

“The smallest diesel generator you can get is usually much larger than what you need in a theatre or concert, so they end up proving very inefficient,” Todd added. “It’s almost like pouring diesel on the ground.”

The company is now looking to commercialise the technology and expects to price the system at about £5,000-£6,000 per unit, although White Light will also offer its customers the chance to hire the system for events.

It is also working on new theatre and concert applications for the fuel cell and is looking at developing a larger lighting rig based BOC’s larger 500 watt fuel cell. “The system can be easily adapted to run kiosks or other parts of the festival site and there is also potential for architectural lighting,” said Todd. “It is a niche market, but it’s a pretty big niche.”

The Technology Strategy Board’s David Bott praised the new system as a prime example of a company taking direct action to cut its own carbon emission and finding a way to commercialise its innovations. “This is a great story of a company taking ownership of its carbon emissions and applying its expertise to tackle the problem,” he said.

Imagine little need for oil drilling or oil imports. Imagine no air pollution from cars.

Tom Sullivan does imagine that.

The idea of hydrogen fueling stations has been around for years – and there are some already out there, but Sullivan’s plan is different. In fact, he says it’s revolutionary. It could make driving less expensive and change the world at the same time.

Sullivan made a fortune starting a company called Lumber Liquidators. Now he’s betting his fortune — some of it — on a concept that manufactures the hydrogen right at the fueling station and eventually he believes right in your own home.

American drivers spend billions on gasoline this Memorial Day weekend. And most of it will go to foreign economies. As Sullivan sees it, it’s the largest transfer of wealth in human history.

“I did have a chance to meet the president and talk about hydrogen,” said Sullivan in his Palm Island mansion.

The wealthy businessman, owner of SunHydro, is building a string of hydrogen fueling stations like his first one in Connecticut, expected to be completed by mid-summer.

But unlike other hydrogen fueling stations they’ll actually manufacture hydrogen on site using only water and solar power.

Miami Man’s Hydrogen Fueling Station Plan

WATCH

Miami Man’s Hydrogen Fueling Station Plan

“Within a couple of years, you’ll be able to drive from Maine to Florida only with sun and water,” he said.

In the Gulf of Mexico there is one giant billboard for switching our economy to one based on hydrogen, said Sullivan.

“It’s not going to happen overnight, but by the 10 to 20 years it’ll take to clean up the gulf, we could make gasoline obsolete,” he said.

Hydrogen cars may remain a novelty until hydrogen fueling stations are everywhere. So Sullivan’s companies are working on what hydrogen experts say is the real answer: decentralizing the hydrogen industry, making the hydrogen on site at the fuel stations, and selling hydrogen manufacturing units for the home – again using only water and sun. Fill your tank in the morning as you head out. Most hydrogen cars can go 400 miles before re-filling.

The cost? “It’s equal to about $3 a gallon,” Sullivan said.

So why isn’t it happening now? faster?

“Good question,” said Sullivan. “It’s easier just to go to the pump and fill up. And the cost of the infrastructure is high. To me, it make so much sense, I don’t know why it hasn’t been done.”

The concept is exciting to those yearning to phase out the petroleum-based economy.

“Yeah, it’s pretty fun,” Sullivan says in his understated tone.

So why hasn’t hydrogen taken off? Experts say it’s largely because there has to be fueling stations before millions of drivers will buy hydrogen cars. But who wants to invest in all those fueling stations without the hydrogen cars on the road?

Sullivan, for one.