FuelCellsWorks

The tenth fuel cell forum f-cell on September 27 and 28 in Stuttgart offers experts from the areas of hydrogen, fuel cells, and electromobility more than 80 lectures and a comprehensive trade fair. The complete program of lectures can now be called up at: www.f-cell.de.\r\n

Online PR News – 06-July-2010 – The tenth fuel cell forum f-cell on September 27 and 28 in Stuttgart offers experts from the areas of hydrogen, fuel cells, and electromobility more than 80 lectures and a comprehensive trade fair. The complete program of lectures can now be called up at: www.f-cell.de.

Stuttgart (eos) – Approximately 700 sector experts from all over the world are expected once again this year by the event organizers, the Peter Sauber Agentur Messen und Kongresse GmbH and the Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart GmbH (economic promotion, WRS) to attend the fuel cell specialist forum f-cell on September 27 and 28 in the Stuttgart “Haus der Wirtschaft”. The comprehensive program with more than 80 lectures is broken down into the topic fields of stationary, mobile, and portable applications, as well as micro fuel cells. There are also forums regarding global markets, innovations from science, infrastructure and hydrogen production & storage, components, as well as drive technologies. Those who are interested can now find the complete program of lectures online at: www.f-cell.de.

International speakers

“We are particularly excited about the lectures by Professor Su Zhou of the Tongji University School of Automotive Studies regarding the hydrogen and fuel cell industry in China as well as by Dr. Joong-Hwan Jun of the RIST Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology regarding research and development activities in Korea,” says Peter Sauber, CEO of the Peter Sauber Agentur Messen und Kongresse. The event organizers have also once again been able to acquire numerous well-known speakers from the USA, Canada, Japan, and neighboring European countries.

Focal point: stationary applications

One focal point of the event in 2010 is the stationary use of fuel cells. For example, in the specialist forums covering this topic, Ziv Gottesfeld of the Israeli company CellEra will be presenting a new, low-cost and platinum-free fuel cell for applications in the kilowatt range. Professor Kaspar Andreas Friedrich of the DLR German Center for Aviation will be reporting on pressure-charged solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) as the basis of a hybrid power station.

Getting electric vehicles on the road

On the topic of electromobility, the event organizer will be presenting the special feature “Batteries and fuel cells move the future”, with lectures from experts from the automobile manufacturers Daimler, Mitsubishi, Renault, Nissan, and Toyota. Moreover, experts will be presenting European and German demonstration projects that are getting electric vehicles on the road.

f-cell as industry platform

On the event website www.f-cell.de, those who are interested will find not only the complete program but also information on the trade fair as well as a great many pictures from past f-cell events. They reflect the special atmosphere of the event, which has developed into a central platform for the exchange of information in the industry. Information is available from Sibel Kadioglu at the Peter Sauber Agency on: 0711-656960-51 or at f-cell@messe-sauber.de.

GS Caltex started to delve into fuel cells two decades ago in preparation of the so-called hydrogen era when such energy systems will lead to near-zero carbon dioxide emissions.

Fuel cells are dubbed emission-free alternatives to conventional engines. Hydrogen and oxygen are combined in a fuel cell so as to produce electric energy.
Their byproduct is the combination of the two – water.

GS FuelCell, a 100 percent-owned affiliate of GS Caltex, has commissioned pilot tests of its 1-kilowatt and 3-kilowatt home fuel cell systems and plans to install them in some Seoul apartments in August. It has already developed a 50-kilowatt system and is working on a 100-kilowatt product.

It said that the cells are sufficiently efficient compared to existing electricity and heat generators, and are good enough to meet the state target of expanding home fuel cells to 10,000 households by 2012.

By John Collingridge City Reporter

GREEN fuel company ITM Power said the UK risks being left behind in the race to develop a hydrogen economy unless it prioritises and subsidises the gas as a viable alternative to fossil fuel.

The Sheffield-based company has developed electrolyser technology to generate hydrogen from renewable energy such as wind power.

But the AIM-listed company said its ambitions are currently thwarted by the lack of support for hydrogen, adding Gover

A report to Parliament last week by the Commission on Climate Change on how to ensure a low-carbon recovery called for the development of the electric car market but largely ignored hydrogen-fuelled vehicles.

ITM claimed economies such as Germany and the US are prioritising hydrogen to keep pace with innovation. Many major car makers are developing hydrogen vehicles for mass market release around 2015.

“What we need are incentives for people to switch from fossil fuels to green hydrogen,” said ITM chief executive Graham Cooley. “The UK is going to come out of the recession by funding new industries. Clean technology is a good place to put your money.”

The Committee on Climate change, chaired by Adair Turner, flagged electric cars as key to decarbonising the economy. In its report, Meeting Carbon Budgets – ensuring a low-carbon recovery, the committee said it is “feasible and desirable” for have up to 1.7m electric cars on the road by 2020, and urged Government to fund electric cars, as well as investing in a national battery charging network.

Dr Cooley said Government policy is influenced by the 2007 King review into low carbon cars, which favoured electric vehicles over hydrogen.

“They (Government) need to revisit that report in the light of what all the other companies are doing,” he said. “It said ‘Forget hydrogen, use electric vehicles’. Now every car company in the world is coming out with hydrogen vehicles. Is that not a hint? They are missing a trick.

“They seem to want to support early stage technology companies to rebuild industry. If they really want to do that they need to incentivise consumers to buy the products and manufacturers to make the products.

“It’s a world market opening up here.”

Car manufacturers Daimler, Kia and GM could each be producing around 10,000 hydrogen cars a year by 2015. By 2020 they will be joined by Hyundai in each producing more than 100,000 hydrogen cars a year. Germany has committed about $2bn to build 1,000 hydrogen refuelling stations by 2015.

ITM, which has developed a suite of products ranging from car refuellers to home electrolysers, is focusing its attention on the company fleet market. Its technology converts electricity, potentially from renewable sources, into hydrogen, which can be compressed for use when needed, but leaves no carbon footprint and does not require a hydrogen grid.

Logistics firm DHL recently agreed to test its refuelling equipment with two hydrogen-powered vans. ITM hopes soon to gain CE certification to allow it to sell its products.

ITM is also lobbying Government to consider a range of measures to support the industry, from subsidies to tax relief. Dr Cooley recently spoke at an event organised by Tory think tank the Centre for Policy Studies.

“We will not have the traction that international competitors have unless our Government recognises our proposition,” he said. “While we are organically trying to battle our way through, competitors have the support of their governments.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said: “The Government regards fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies as having the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions over the medium to longer term.”

She added the Government is currently supportingfive fuel cell vehicles on the University of Birmingham campus, and five fuel cell buses in London.

Leading the drive to gas future

ITM’s first product, launched in 2008, was a green box for refuelling hydrogen cars.

However, the launch of the green box, which took eight hours to fill a car, coincided with the global recession and failed to take off.

Over the past year, a new management team led by Graham Cooley has focused on commercialising ITM’s electrolyser technology and recently launched a range of new products.

HPac is designed to supply hydrogen to compression systems for energy storage, fuel cells, engines and small industrial sites.

HFlame is aimed at applications where oxygen, acetylene, propane or natural gas are normally used, such as soldering, cutting and polishing.

HFuel is a self-contained unit for refuelling hydrogen-powered vehicles and forklift trucks.

HLab is aimed at the pharmaceutical, laboratory and fuel cell industries.

HBox is an electrolyser designed to produce heat and power inside the home.

It is now working on HFill, a high-compression, 700 bar home refueller. It has secured a contract to design the prototype for NextEnergy, a US organisation working with car manufacturers.

Protonex Technology, a provider of fuel cell systems, announced that it has retained America’s Growth Capital to assist in evaluating the Company’s strategic alternatives for growth, including future financing.

According to a release, Scott Pearson, Chief Executive Officer of Protonex said: “After recently securing shareholder approval to de-list from the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, we look forward to capitalizing on the potential financial advantages of being a private company. We are pleased to have partnered with America’s Growth Capital and we are confident in their ability to assist Protonex in defining and executing on a growth strategy which maximizes shareholder value.”

Protonex Technology develops and manufactures compact, lightweight and high-performance fuel cell systems for portable power applications in the 100 to 1000-watt range. The Company’s fuel cell systems are designed to meet the needs of military, commercial and consumer customers for off-grid applications underserved by existing technologies by providing customizable, stand-alone portable power solutions and systems that may be hybridized with existing power technologies.

Written by Murray Pollok

Bredenoord’s Purity generator was at the 2010 Glastonbury Festival.

Bredenoord’s Purity fuel cell powered generator made a working appearance at the Glastonbury Festival last week and is to embark on a tour of other festivals in the UK over the summer.

The generator was rented to Firefly Solar, a UK company that specialises in providing solar power and lighting and audio visual systems for events and festivals. Firefly used the 5 kVA Purity to supplement its solar power generators for tents in Bella’s Field, part of Glastonbury’s Theatre and Circus area.

Paul Schurink, manager international projects & business development at Bredenoord, who attended the Festival, told IRN that the generator had performed faultlessly over the four days and had attracted a lot of interest; “Contractors, other events people, electricians – everyone who is involved in temporary power was interested – they saw that we had brought something new.”

Firefly will now take the Purity, and one of Bredenoord’s new ‘Clear Concept’ gensets (which uses a clean air filter and synthetic GTL fuel), to a number of other Festivals in the south of the UK in July. These include Paddle Round The Pier, Brighton (5 July), Lovebox Festival, London (19 July) and the High Voltage Festival, also in London (26 July).

Bredenoord met Firefly in the summer of 2009 when Firefly’s managing director, Andy Mead, visited the Lowlands Festival in the Netherlands where Bredenoord was showing the Purity.

Bredenoord’s Mr Schurink will not be attending these other festivals, but certainly enjoyed his first visit to Glastonbury. He was stationed with the generator full-time during the day, but was able to enjoy some of the performances in the evening. “It’s a fantastic event”, he told IRN, “Something that everyone should do once in their lives.”

Fuel cell power systems, installed at properties such as the Hilton New York, Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, and Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino, have worked reliably for years now but have failed to catch on in a big way throughout the lodging industry.

Cost and availability of funding have certainly been reasons and the recent recession certainly has not helped. A lack of a serious marketing push by suppliers has contributed to the technology’s slow acceptance and systems have also not been available for smaller hotels. Some recent developments, however, could make fuel cells a more attractive option for the lodging industry.

The first development is the availability of smaller power systems. ClearEdge Power, Hillsboro, Ore., for example, is now offering a 5-kilowatt system. A little smaller than a refrigerator, the ClearEdge5 is now available in California. The company, which has grown from 33 employees in January 2009 to 150 employees today, will be expanding its business outside of the Golden State by early 2011. Michael Upp, vice president of marketing for ClearEdge Power, says the ClearEdge5 is ideal for B&Bs, boutique hotels and properties up to the size of a Four Points by Sheraton. The ClearEdge5 provides an alternative to the larger systems—up to more than 2 megawatts in size—that companies like FuelCell Energy, Inc., Danbury, Conn., and South Windsor, Conn.-based UTC Power offer. Up to five or six ClearEdge5 systems can be grouped together to create an up to 30-kilowatt plant. (Larger systems offered by FuelCell Energy, Inc. and UTC Power can also be grouped together to meet a property’s power needs.) 

Another development is the availability of financing programs that make it easier to purchase a fuel cell system. California, for example, offers a Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) rebate. States such as Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey also offer incentives. (See www.dsireusa.org/incentives/ for list of incentives by state). The Property Assessed Clean Energy Program (PACE) is available in 22 states and is a creative way to finance renewable energy projects with zero upfront dollars. According to FuelCell Energy, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 provides substantial financial incentives for fuel cell power plants. Specifically, it grants a federal investment tax credit of 30 percent or $3,000 per kilowatt (whichever is lowest) of total project costs, as well as five-year accelerated depreciation.

Power Generation Process Explained

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that combine fuel with oxygen from the ambient air to produce electricity and heat, as well as water. The fuel used is typically natural gas but other gas sources can also be used. Heat from the electricity generation process can be used to heat hot water or provide building heat. According to ClearEdge Power’s Upp, to reduce installation costs, ideally one would locate their system closest to the main electric panel and where the heated water would be used—a swimming pool or spa, for example.

Using fuel cell systems eliminates much of the inefficiency of coal and other fossil fuel powered plants. The electricity needs to travel only a short distance from the plant to the point of use and much less carbon dioxide and other pollutants are produced. According to Erik Robie, regional sales manager for UTC Power, most power plants that generate electricity are about 33 percent efficient whereas on-site fuel cell power systems can be 42 percent efficient. “When byproduct heat is used, a system can be close to 90 percent efficient,” he says.

Fuel cell systems are also much more water efficient than power plants that use coal or other fuel sources. In fact, fuel cells actually produce water. The overall positive environmental comparison to other means of electricity generation depends on the location of the installation. For example, in areas where electricity is generated from hydroelectric plants, the environmental comparison would not be as dramatic; in areas where electricity is generated from coal or other dirty sources, the argument for fuel cell power would be much stronger.   
 
Unlike solar and wind systems, fuel cell plants can run 24/7 without interruption, even when the power grid goes down. Fuel cell systems also provide cost savings. According to David Prost, director of engineering at the 1,053-room Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, that hotel has been able to generate electricity at a cost 5 to 10 percent less than what the local utility would charge. The hotel currently has six 250-kilowatt fuel cell plants on the property able to generate 1.5 megawatts of electricity. The plants were manufactured by FuelCell Energy.

Waste Heat Pays Dividends

Prost says the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina’s system is owned and managed by an outside company. Seventy percent of the property’s electricity demand is met by the fuel cells and waste heat is used to heat water for the hotel’s Bay Tower and the water in the 110,000-gallon swimming pool in the Marina Tower. “There is still more heat we can capture,” Prost says.

“We enjoy having them here,” Prost adds, regarding the fuel cell plants. “We are pursuing LEED certification. We try to do everything possible that is green. They are a great thing to market. They are great for the environment.”

At the Hilton New York, where a 200-kilowatt, 40,000-pound PureCell system from UTC Power has been up and running for almost three years, Mike Smith, directory of property operations, is just as bullish about the technology.

“It’s been working very well,” Smith says. “It is so quiet you would not even know it is there. We go through periodic maintenance by UTC. They monitor it online. From our side it is seamless.”

Six Percent of Electricity Needs Met

The PureCell system provides, on average, about 6 percent of the 1,980-room Hilton New York’s electricity needs. The system is owned by the hotel’s owners. Waste heat is used to preheat the temperature of the hot water used in the hotel (before final heating) by 30 degrees. This saves a significant amount of energy. Smith says he is currently looking at ways to recover waste heat for the heating of guestrooms in the winter.

According to Homer Purcell, manager of stationary fuel cell sales for UTC Power, for companies selling large fuel cells, the challenge today is to find a facility that is large enough to be able to maximize the use of a fuel cell plant’s waste heat. Hotels that do not have their own laundry facilities or that use portable heating and cooling systems such as PTACs tend to not be a good fit.

Getting the cost of large systems down is also a challenge, UTC Power’s Robie says. “State funding won’t be around forever,” he says. “Reducing the cost of the technology is challenge No. 1. We are still a few years away out on that.”

For companies like ClearEdge Power, which have developed a much more compact system for hotels, market adoption should be much faster.
 
This article first appeared on the Green Lodging News website.

FORT HOOD, Texas, 29 June 2010. U.S. Army test and evaluation experts are surveying industry to find companies qualified to design and build prototype compact, lightweight, rugged military fuel cells able to operate continuously for at least 100 hours for providing power for test and instrumentation equipment on Army ground vehicles.

The Army Test & Evaluation Command (ATEC) at Fort Hood, Texas, released a sources sought notice (W91N5R-0162-3000F) to determine interest and capability in the defense industry to design and manufacturer Lightweight Alternative Power Source (LAPS) fuel cell technology. Army officials caution that this is not a solicitation, and is only for market research.

Still, Army officials are releasing a detailed description of the kinds of LAPS fuel cell power electronics technology they want, and this notice eventually could evolve into a formal request for proposals.

The Army is interested in fuel cells with operating lives of at least three years with a minimum of 10 cycles of refueling and field use per year — or 3,000 hours of operational use — which will operate in harsh military conditions in the field, involving sand and dust, temperature extremes, as well as shock and vibration.

Companies interested should be able to design and build four pre-production fuel cells and 50 low rate initial production (LRIP) fuel cells, which are no larger than 1.6 cubic feet — or 15 inches long by 15 inches high by 12 inches wide — and weigh no more than 57 pounds with fuel or 37 pounds empty. Ultimately the Army wants fuel cells no larger than one cubic foot.

These fuel cells must meet MIL-STD-810G for shock, vibration, and transit drop, and must have air filters to protect from sand, dust, and vehicle exhaust. Army officials expect these fuel cells to operate in temperatures from -10 to 50 degrees Celsius. Furthermore these fuel cells must have shelf lives of at least four years.

For performance, cells must provide at least 100 Watts of power at 28 volts DC, with an efficiency of at least 75 percent. Startup time without batteries should take no longer than 10 minutes without batteries, or 30 seconds if startup batters are provided. Fuel cells also must be quiet — no more than 50 decibels of noise measured eight feet away.

Companies interested should be able to build as many as 1,000 units. Companies able to meet these requirements should introduce themselves to the Army no later than 2 July 2010. To do so, contact the Army’s Tina Guillot by phone at 254-288-1204, by e-mail at tina.a.guillot@us.army.mil, or by post to U.S. Army ATEC Contracting Activity, ATTN: CSTE-CA, P.O. Box Y, Fort Hood, Texas 76544-0770.

More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USA/TECOM/DATM01/W91N5R-0162-3000F/listing.html.

The HYDRA, the world’s first mobile solar hydrogen powered water purification and community energy station system. Photo: Mark Brakeman

By Mark Brakeman
Clean water and reliable energy sources are scarce commodities in many parts of the world, and last week a group of entrepreneurial scientists unveiled their solution to the problem. The three men, who comprise The Essential Element, demonstrated their solar-powered device, which can make brackish water clean enough to drink.

The Hydra uses solar energy to pump water through a very fine filtration system and instantly provide potable water that is 100 percent virus and bacteria free. But the Hydra also creates electricity, using hydrogen derived from water molecules.

The filtration device was created by water system innovators Brad Carlson and David Squires. They combined their breakthrough with those of renewable hydrogen pioneer Mike Strizki to develop the portable life-saving device. Water passes through a state-of-the-art filtration system with pores that are only 0.1 microns in diameter, according to Squires.

A micron is one millionth of a meter, or one thousandth of a millimeter.

Strizki, who has been working with hydrogen power technology for 25 years, said the model of the Hydra on display Tuesday, June 22, is portable, and can be used in any situation. However, he added that it is intended to be used in response to natural and man-made disasters and to be used in areas chronically or seasonally devoid of resources, and in that regard “to make third-world countries into second-world countries.”

The device can be flown anywhere by helicopter and dropped where it is needed, and can be set up in 30 minutes, he said. It can begin producing energy and clean water immediately.

Energy is created by the device when water molecules are split into their constituent hydrogen and oxygen atoms and then the atoms are recombined, said Strizki. The energy helps to run the filtration system, excess hydrogen can be stored for future use in appliances adapted for its use, and oxygen can be sold to hospitals as medical-grade oxygen, he added.

Strizki said the Hydra can produce 20,000 gallons of clean drinking water per day and provides electricity to community power plants. With additional solar panels, the power plant can be expanded to generate even more electricity.

A village of 5,000 can be provided with clean water for drinking and cooking at an allowance of four gallons per person per day, he said.

That can make a big difference for many people, he said, explaining that infected water kills five million people a year due to dysentery. With clean water, he added, affected persons can feel better in a week.

None of the dangers of traditional fuels are present with hydrogen, he said. It is safer than any currently used fuel, including propane, diesel, and natural gas. The element presents no risk of explosion because even if a tank of the gas ruptures or develops a leak, the lighter-than-air element would escape too quickly, at a rate of 45 miles per hour, for any sparks or flames to catch it.

Strizki said his own home has been powered by hydrogen for years. He produces the hydrogen himself, using the same technology in the Hydra and 4,000 square feet of solar panels. Behind his house the gas he creates is stored in giant tanks.

As examples of hydrogen’s power, on a table near the Hydra last week, the gas that escaped from a small balloon powered a small fan and a toy car. Full-sized hydrogen-powered cars could be produced easily, but those vehicles would not need as many parts as gasoline-fueled cars, such as fuel lines, cutting out business for manufacturers of those products, so those interests lobby against hydrogen innovations.

He called hydrogen power “disruptive technology because it turns the traditional energy industry on its head.”

Oil and gas companies, he said, make too much money treating the disease, not curing it.

by NICK ROSEN

 

Ceres Power Holdings plc ("Ceres" or the "Company") today is providing an update on the British Gas CHP programme, and

announcing a product demonstration at the Company's HQ in September 2010 in conjunction with its preliminary results for

the year ended 30th June 2010.

 

Since the interim results we have achieved the following:

 

· CHP product demonstrations conducted for British Gas Directors

 

· CHP boiler assemblies now being produced by Daalderop in volume manufacturing plant

 

· Sheltered field trials operated under 'real-life' conditions in unoccupied homes

 

· CHP product remote data collection, diagnostics and operation demonstrated

 

· Major process improvements to increase capacity and yield in the manufacture of fuel cells

 

· Expanded CHP product testing capability at Horsham and Crawley sites

 

The Company has been operating CHP units in sheltered field trials and in its own test facilities gaining valuable

experience across a wide range of operating conditions. The experience from this testing means that the installation of

CHP units in occupied homes for commercial field trials is now expected in Q4 2010 to enable completion of the required

engineering design changes and CE marking certification.

 

The systems engineering challenges associated with achieving the required product reliability and operating control

strategy have involved both hardware and software modifications (including the associated design, procure, build and test

cycle) which have taken more time to resolve than was anticipated. Accordingly, the Beta phase will now be extended to

allow sufficient time to complete the required engineering iterations and we now expect initial product sales in mid 2012.

We are working closely with British Gas to prepare for both initial product sales and an accelerated volume ramp-up within

six months thereafter.

 

Ceres has recently conducted CHP demonstrations for British Gas Directors at its new installer training facility in

Horsham. The Company's wall mounted CHP product exported and imported power to and from the grid and delivered heating and

hot water into a representative home energy system comprising hot water tank, central heating system including radiators

and a smart meter. The CHP product demonstrations involved multiple start/stops and responses to calls for space heating

from a room thermostat. We have also been working closely with British Gas to further optimise the CHP system's design for

ease of installation in order to maximise the addressable market opportunity.

 

Gearoid Lane, Managing Director of British Gas Communities and New Energy, commented: "Significant progress has been made

by Ceres Power during the challenging Beta phase and we were pleased to see the working Beta CHP units and manufacturing

operations. We look forward to working closely with Ceres Power to accelerate the mass market deployment of CHP units and

offer British Gas customers the opportunity to generate their own electricity as part of our strategic commitment to a low

carbon world."

 

The Company expects to end its financial year on 30th June 2010 in a robust financial position with net cash and short-term

investments of not less than £40m, in line with previous guidance.

 

The Company will invite sell-side analysts to its Horsham headquarters on Wednesday 29th September 2010 to demonstrate its

wall-mounted natural gas CHP Product, and provide a management presentation of its preliminary results and a tour of the

production and test facilities. The directors will also present a full technology update including independent third party

validation together with a revised roadmap for the CHP programme with British Gas.

 

Peter Bance, Chief Executive Officer, Ceres Power, commented: "We are working hard to complete the re-engineering work

ahead of installing CHP field trial units in consumers' homes later this year. British Gas is exploring opportunities with

Ceres Power to accelerate the volume sales of our CHP product in the UK."

The new UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Association (UK HCFA) launched this week as the result of the merger of Fuel Cells UK and the UK Hydrogen Association.

The new industry body aims to provide a common voice for the sector, advocating a positive social, political and economic environment for the development of hydrogen energy and fuel cells in the UK.

With a membership comprising the leading fuel cell and hydrogen companies in the UK as well as a range of stakeholders, from energy utilities to component developers, fuel suppliers and others involved both directly and indirectly in the industry, the newly formed UK HCFA says it now has greater influence over key public and private stakeholders to support hydrogen energy and fuel cell research.

The UK HCFA will act on behalf of its members to deliver the necessary support to help hydrogen and fuel cells become a key component of a low carbon economy – reducing greenhouse gases, enhancing energy security and delivering ‘green collar’ jobs.

The UK HCFA aims to provide an authoritative point of contact and a clear, informed and current view on research, development and demonstration priorities for Government, other funding agencies and key influencers.

Prior to the merger, Fuel Cells UK utilised its collective industry voice at national and international level, working alongside the Treasury to successfully identify appropriate support mechanisms for fuel cells and lobbying Government on the introduction of feed-in tariffs for low carbon technologies.

The UK Hydrogen Association, prior to the merger, collaborated internationally and made significant progress towards defining routes for low carbon hydrogen delivered at competitive costs, doing much to demonstrate that this can be achieved safely, and diversifying energy options for consumers.

“The UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Association has the breadth of capability to shape the climate agenda today and drive hydrogen deployment and fuel cell commercialisation towards the low carbon economy of tomorrow,” said Dennis Hayter, newly appointed Chair of the UK HCFA. “We now have a common voice with which to ensure the industry receives all the support necessary to realise the tremendous potential it offers in meeting low carbon objectives in the UK.”

€13.7m second round funding

Paris-– Sofinnova Partners, acting as a leading investor, Gimv and Amundi Private Equity Funds announced today their investment in McPhy Energy, together with the historic investors in a second round of funding worth €13.7m. The funds will be used towards the global expansion of McPhy Energy and the further industrialisation and commercialisation of its products.

McPhy Energy is an innovative French company founded in January 2008 with the mission to industrialise and commercialise a new technology for the solid storage of hydrogen in the form of magnesium hydride. The company has developed an alternative solution for the on-site production of hydrogen for the industry sector and for the renewable energy sector a concrete solution to solve the issue of energy storage.

Following a €1.6m first round of financing in January 2009 from Emertec and Areva, the firm established its production line and created a reservoir of magnesium hydride that was delivered to CEA-Liten in March 2010 for testing on an industrial scale. The company is now developing a second large-capacity reservoir that will become operational during the second half of 2010.

The second round of funds will allow the start-up to scale quickly, from both an industrial and commercial development point of view, by reinforcing its commercial and technical team and investing in additional production equipment. Already present in Spain and in Italy, the company also plans to open offices in Germany, Northern Europe, the Middle East and Japan.

“Through our innovative and very promising technology, McPhy Energy offers a new perspective on technical, ecological and economical solutions in the areas of industrial hydrogen distribution and energy storage,” explains Pascal Mauberger, CEO of McPhy Energy. “We are proud that such experienced investors share our enthusiasm for McPhy Energy’s advanced technology and will accompany us in further developing critical alternatives in these two fields,” he added.

“Following past investments in DNP Green, Revolt Technology and Neosens, this latest investment in McPhy Energy is proof of Sofinnova Partners’ continued interest in the Cleantech sector,” says Alessio Beverina, Principal at Sofinnova Partners. “McPhy Energy exemplifies what we actively seek in a start-up: an innovative technology that solves an unanswered issue in a growing international market and, above all, a high-quality managerial team which has already successfully proven itself and demonstrated its entrepreneurial spirit.”

“Over the past two years, McPhy Energy has finalised its unique hydrogen storage technology. It is now ready to enter several promising market segments. We are convinced that solid state hydrogen storage will be one of the winning solutions to address the growing need for green and large-scale energy storage,” says Bart Diels, Partner at Gimv. “McPhy Energy signifies our first Cleantech deal in France, where Gimv already concluded two other venture capital transactions in the past twelve months.“

“McPhy Energy represents a great opportunity to continue the development of our activity and expertise in the Cleantech sector,” explains Florent Thomann, Investment Manager at Amundi PEF. “The powerful, breakthrough technology, an advanced industrial product on the brink of market launch, combined with an experienced and complementary management team and a huge market potential convinced us to accompany McPhy. Its unique product offering will enable McPhy not only to make industrial hydrogen use easy, but to solve one of today’s major problems : the storage of energy,” he added.

Clipperton Finance acted as Sole Manager of the transaction. “We are very proud to have been able to advise the company and its management through this critical phase of McPhy’s development, and very confident that the company’s syndicate of experienced investors will be instrumental for its success,” commented Nicolas von Bülow and Thomas Neveux, the Partners at Clipperton Finance in charge of the operation.

About McPhy Energy
McPhy Energy is a young French innovative company created in 2008, with the mission to industrialize and commercialize an innovative solid-state hydrogen storage technology using magnesium hybrid, that offers unique advantages compared to other hydrogen storage solutions. The technology addresses the merchant hydrogen and renewable energy markets. McPhy owns exclusive rights on a portfolio of unique patents, which results from over 8 years of research at the CNRS and CEA, in partnership with Joseph Fourier University. Member of the TENERRDIS cluster, McPhy Energy is involved as a partner or a subcontractor in several research projects.
For further information: www.mcphy.com

About Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is an independent venture capital firm based in Paris, France. For over 35 years, the firm has backed nearly 500 companies at different stages of development – pure creations, spin-offs, as well as turnaround situations – and worked alongside Europe’s key entrepreneurs in the technology, life sciences and cleantech sectors. With €1.1 billion of funds under management, Sofinnova Partners’ experienced team and hands-on approach in building portfolio companies through to exit have created market leaders, from landmark historical investments including Genentech, Actelion and Vistaprint to more recent successes such as CoreValve, Novexel, Fovea and Sensitive Object. With a global mindset, the firm has a sister organization in San Francisco, California.
Please visit www.sofinnova.fr for more information on Sofinnova’s team and portfolio.

About Gimv
Gimv is a European investment company with 30 years of experience in private equity and venture capital. The company is listed on NYSE Euronext Brussels and currently manages around EUR 1.8 billion of assets (including third party funds).
Gimv undertakes buyouts and provides growth capital to established companies. Local teams in Belgium, France, The Netherlands and Germany concentrate on these activities. Gimv-XL provides growth financing to larger growth companies in Flanders. Gimv makes venture capital investments in high tech sectors through its specialist teams in Life Sciences, Technology and Cleantech.
Its DG Infra+ fund also focuses on infrastructure projects in the Benelux. Gimv is also active in Central and Eastern Europe through several funds and joint ventures.
For more information about Gimv, please visit our website: www.gimv.com.

About Amundi
Amundi ranks third in Europe1 and among the top ten global players in asset management2 with around €688 billion under management3.
Located at the heart of the main investment regions in more than 30 countries, Amundi offers a comprehensive range of products covering all asset classes and major currencies.
Amundi develops savings solutions to meet the needs of more than 100 million retail customers worldwide and designs innovative, high-performing products for institutional clients which are tailored specifically to their requirements and risk profile. Benefiting from the support of two powerful banking groups, Crédit Agricole and Société Générale, Amundi aims to establish itself as the undisputed leader in asset management in Europe, recognised for:
- the quality of its products, their financial performance and transparency
- its close relations with customers, partner networks and institutions
- the efficiency of its organisation, resulting from the individual and collective talents of its teams
- a commitment to integrate sustainability and social purpose criteria into its investment policies, going beyond financial criteria alone.
1. IPE Top 400 survey published July 2009, data at 31 December 2008
2. GI 100 ranking published September 2008, data at June 2008
3. Amundi Group figures as at 31 March 2010
www.amundi.com

About Clipperton Finance
Based in Paris and London, Clipperton Finance is a European corporate finance boutique dedicated to the High Tech and Media industries. Clipperton is focused on high-growth companies in the Internet, Software, Telecom, Components, Clean Tech, MedTech and Media spaces, advising them in their financial transactions: fundraising/capital increases and Mergers & Acquisitions.
Over the past years the company and its team have successfully structured numerous high level international transactions in the European High Tech sector.
For more information, visit: www.clipperton.net

Low emission at sea

Lyngby–The world’s first solid oxide fuel cell unit installed on a ship has started operation. The unit is installed on board the car-carrying ship “Undine”, where 24 fuel cell stacks produce electrical energy in a very clean and almost emission-free process. The unit operates on methanol with CO₂ and water as the only by-products of the process.

Topsoe Fuel Cell has developed and supplied the fuel cell stacks for the 20 kW auxiliary power unit. The fuel cell stacks are based on the solid oxide fuel cell technology. Wärtsilä has been responsible for the system design of the unit in the framework of the METHAPU project.

Power from land fill gas

Topsoe Fuel Celll and Wärtsilä co-operate in the development of SOFC-systems for clean and efficient power generation. At the New Energy plant in Vasa, Finland a unit is running on landfill gas, supplying electricity for the surrounding homes.

Topsoe Fuel Cell produces fuel cells, stacks and PowerCores^TM, all based on the solid oxide fuel cell technology (SOFC). It can be applied as the basis of a wide array of clean and efficient energy solutions for Auxiliary Power Units, Combined Heat and Power and Distributed Generation.

Hydrogen Purity Certification

ITM Power, the energy storage and clean fuel company is pleased to announce its participation in a Joint Industry Project (JIP) with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), directed at establishing a suite of analytical methods for the measurement of trace-level impurities in hydrogen. The project is underway and part funded by the National Measurement Office (NMO).

The future uptake of hydrogen as a fuel will depend in part on the ability to produce low cost hydrogen which is of a sufficient purity. These purity requirements are currently being set out in a series of draft International Standards (ISO 14687), with differing purities depending on the appliance in question. Where hydrogen is used to fuel proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, the recommended limits of impurities permissible to avoid poisoning of the fuel cell catalysts are currently being laid out in two ISO draft standards

1. ISO/CD 14687-2: 2009 – Hydrogen fuel — Product specification — Part 2: Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell applications for road vehicles (this is consistent with SAE J2719 – Information Report on the Development of a Hydrogen Quality Guideline for Fuel Cell Vehicles)

2. ISO/WD 14687-3: 2009 – Hydrogen fuel — Product specification — Part 3: Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell applications for stationary appliances

Presently, no infrastructure for measuring these ISO standards is available in the UK and, as part of the announced project, ITM is now contributing to this important project by providing samples of electrolytic hydrogen as feedstock to the analysis process and hosting sampling tests. The project will enable NPL to develop innovative analysis and sampling methods to allow the purity of the hydrogen produced by electrolysers or other technologies to be determined to the necessary accuracy to be suitable for use in fuel cell applications according to the draft ISO/CD 14687-2 and ISO/WD 14687-3.

Once developed, these methods can be used for other industrial applications in the UK hydrogen industry where purity measurements are critical, for example, the use of hydrogen as a carrier gas in analytical chemistry.

Commenting on the joint project Andrew Brown, Senior Research Scientist at NPL said: “It is vital that the UK develops the skills and techniques necessary to certify hydrogen purity against international standards. NPL are pleased to be working with ITM in this field enabling evaluation of electrolytic hydrogen samples.”

Graham Cooley, CEO commented: “ITM are committed to achieving the right hydrogen purity for its customers. NPL is the best placed organization in the UK to develop appropriate gas analysis and provide independent assessment. We look forward to the results across our product portfolio.”

Karen Hall, Administrative Manager of UKHA commented: “This project is a refreshing example of companies taking the initiative and doing their bit for the UK hydrogen industry. Without appropriate analysis and sampling techniques it will be impossible to demonstrate compliance with the international standards currently under development.”

For further information please visit www.itm-power.com

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (AIM/ASX: CFU) – a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation units for homes and other buildings – today welcomed the announcement that the Victorian Government has commenced a review into the expansion of feed-in tariffs to include low-emissions technologies.

A feed-in tariff is a rate paid for electricity fed back into the electricity grid from designated renewable and low emission electricity generation sources.

In Victoria there is a ‘standard’ feed-in tariff (equal to the retail price for electricity, or about 20 cents per kilowatt hour) for electricity fed back into the grid from wind, solar, hydro and biomass generators of up to 100 kilowatts capacity; plus a ‘premium’ feed-in tariff (of 60 cents per kilowatt hour) for solar systems up to 5 kilowatts capacity.

To date, there has been no feed-in tariff for low-emission electricity production from technologies such as fuel cells.

The Victorian Government has now begun a review to consider the cost effectiveness of extending the feed-in tariff provisions to low-emissions technologies, including fuel cells.

The Government has released a consultation paper and is seeking submissions. The closing date for submissions is 23 July 2010.

Ceramic Fuel Cells will be making a submission to this review.

Feed-in tariffs are being used in many markets to encourage the deployment of renewable and low emissions technologies. From April 2010 the United Kingdom Government introduced a feed-in tariff for small low-emission electricity generators, including fuel cell power and heating products. A feed-in tariff also applies in Germany, France and The Netherlands.

Last week Ceramic Fuel Cells announced that a report by CSIRO has confirmed the significant carbon savings from the Company’s BlueGen gas-to-electricity product. When operated continuously each BlueGen unit can save between 12 and 33 tonnes of carbon per year compared to the grid in Victoria. BlueGen also delivers many other environmental benefits: no nitrogen oxide or sulphur oxide emissions, and up to 95 percent less water used than coal fired generators to produce the same amount of electricity.

The Government’s consultation paper is available at:

new.dpi.vic.gov.au/energy/energy-policy/greenhouse-challenge/feed-in-tariffs/consultation-paper-review-into-the-potential-expansion-of-feed-in-tariffs

Ian Williamson, director of Air Products’ Hydrogen and Bio Energy business, was appointed as new EHA president by the EHA General Assembly on June 22 in Brussels. Ian is succeeding Lars Sjunnesson, who steered the Association form 5 founding national associations to an European hydrogen organisation of reference, representing  19 national assoications and the main hydrogen infrastructure suppliers in Europe as Shell, Statoil, ENI, Linde, Air Liquide, Air Products. Massimo Prastaro of ENI and Stein Briskebey of the Norsk Hydrogen Forum were appointed as new EHA board members. Ian in his acceptance speech emphasized the need to leverage the EHA’s European coverage of industrial and national activities to accelerate the uptake of the use of hydrogen throughout Europe. He indicated that the EHA intends to increase its network  opportunities between industry and national stakeholders as well as between associations.

McPhy Energy has signed a research partnership contract with the Institute CEALiten (Laboratory of Innovation for New Energy Technologies and nonmaterials). The objective of this agreement was to build two magnesium hydride storage prototypes and test them on an industrial scale. They will couple the reservoirs to an electrolyzer and a fuel cell during the test phase, simulating storage utilization of renewable energy.

The first tank with a 1 kg hydrogen capacity has been delivered on March 29^th 2010 by CEA-Liten. The second larger tank (15 kg hydrogen) will be put into service during the second half of 2010.

Target applications are the production of electricity in isolated sites, or peak shaving of electrical networks with an improved safety and no negative environmental impact (no release of CO₂ or wasted heat). With the nanostructuration of the material and the addition of specific additives used and developed by the teams from the CNRS (Institute Neel – CRETA – LEGI) in Grenoble, the systems commercialized by McPhy Energy can store large quantities of hydrogen at low pressure within tens of minutes.

For more information go to the McPhy Energy website.