FuelCellsWorks

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.– Air Products (NYSE: APD), the leader in hydrogen fueling technology, today announced it has signed a contract with Sorensen Gross Construction Services to build a hydrogen fueling station in Flint, Michigan to fuel a hydrogen fuel cell bus owned by Flint’s Mass Transportation Authority (MTA). The station, which will be part of the MTA’s alternative fuels test program, is to be onstream in April 2012.

“This agreement continues to reinforce our leadership in the evolution of mass transit,” said Bob Kelly, business development manager for Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products. “Air Products has a proven record of working with the mass transit industry and is selected for these types of projects because of its technical capabilities in design and, specifically, its record of executing major projects in a safe and timely manner.”

“Sorensen Gross is excited to be part of a team that will bring the future of transportation fuel to our community. We are particularly pleased to be collaborating with Air Products, the MTA, and other team members in this endeavor as they are all leaders in their fields who will bring great expertise to this project,” said Ghassan Saab, CEO at Sorensen Gross.

Air Products will supply its hydrogen compression, storage and dispensing technology to fuel the bus with hydrogen produced from an electrolyzer provided by Proton OnSite. Details on Air Products’ portfolio of hydrogen fueling station technologies are provided at www.airproducts.com/h2energy.

“Proton OnSite is pleased to be working with Air Products and the MTA in Flint, Michigan to showcase our industry leading, onsite hydrogen generation fueling product,” said Robert Friedland, president and CEO of Proton OnSite. “This kind of joint public and private enterprise involving global leaders in industrial gases and onsite hydrogen generation, coupled with a forward-thinking transit agency like Flint’s MTA, is crucial in helping the United States move beyond fossil fuels. We want to help enable more fueling options, those that are affordable, clean and reliable. When commuters start riding this bus next spring, they will be supporting a big step for Flint and this country overall in terms of the available fuel options.”

Air Products has been involved in several recent mass transit fueling projects. These include: fueling five new hydrogen fuel cell powered buses that transport riders daily on the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) bus system in the San Francisco Bay Area in California (2010); commissioning its fueling station in London to fuel a fleet of five hydrogen buses as part of the Transport for London Project (2010), and the same station will fuel the first fleet of London hydrogen taxis planned for 2012; and fueling a fleet of more than 50 hydrogen fuel cell shuttle vehicles that transported athletes and government officials at the Asian Games and Asian Para Games in Guangzhou City, China (2010). The China project was similar to Air Products filling hydrogen buses at a fueling station in the Beijing Hydrogen Park during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which marked the first demonstration project for new-energy vehicles in China.

Air Products, the leading supplier of hydrogen to refineries to assist in the production of cleaner burning transportation fuels, has unique experience in the hydrogen fueling industry. These varied fueling applications provide an opportunity to assess consumer experiences, evaluate product performance and advance product improvements. In fact, in certain market applications, fueling rates at several individual sites of over 15,000 refills per year are occurring. The company has placed over 120 hydrogen fueling stations in the United States and 19 countries worldwide. Cars, trucks, vans, buses, scooters, forklifts, locomotives, planes, cell towers, material handling equipment, and even submarines have been fueled with trend-setting technologies that involve Air Products’ know-how, equipment and hydrogen. Use of the company’s technology is increasing and is currently over 350,000 hydrogen fills per year.

Air Products has more than 50 years of hydrogen experience and is on the forefront of hydrogen energy technology development. Air Products has an extensive patent portfolio with over 50 patents in hydrogen dispensing technology. Air Products provides liquid and gaseous hydrogen, and HCNG (hydrogen/compressed natural gas) fueling, and has developed a variety of enabling devices and protocols for fuel dispensing at varied pressures. Hydrogen for these stations can be delivered to a site via truck, produced by natural gas reformation, biomass conversion, or by electrolysis, including electrolysis that is solar and wind driven.

Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services.  Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives.  The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment.  In fiscal 2010, Air Products had revenues of $9 billion, operations in over 40 countries, and 18,300 employees around the globe.  For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

DMFC technology is clean, efficient, and grid-free source of energy for the planet.

LOS ANGELES– The University of Southern California, the California Institute of Technology, and SFC Energy, Inc. today announced the execution of a license to an extensive portfolio of U.S. patents for direct methanol fuel cell technology (DMFC).  The nonexclusive license to the universities’ patents will facilitate SFC Energy, Inc.’s expansion of its methanol fuel cell products into the U.S. market.

Direct methanol fuel cells hold promise as a clean and efficient technology for generating grid-independent electricity directly from methanol, a liquid fuel that is ubiquitously available.  DMFC technology does not require an external fuel reformer, and is an excellent candidate for very small to mid-sized applications, such as portable consumer electronics and vehicle power plants.  SFC Energy Inc.’s product line ranges from portable fuel cells used to power equipment for field personnel, to systems that supply auxiliary power for electrical systems on boats, motor homes, and special-purpose vehicles.

The licensed technology was invented by a USC Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute team led by G. K. Surya Prakash and Nobel laureate George Olah, and by S. Surampudi, S. R. Narayanan, E. Vamos, H. Frank, and G. Halpert at Caltech/JPL.  It includes fundamental patents covering the direct conversion of liquid fuels to electricity by specially designed fuel cells.  The universities had previously licensed the patent portfolio to other companies, but those licenses have terminated.

SFC Energy, Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of SFC Energy AG.  USC, Caltech, and SFC Energy AG are in discussions regarding a license to the patents that the universities hold in countries outside of the United States.

“We are very excited to see this disruptive technology moving into commercial use,” said Krisztina ‘Z’ Holly, Vice Provost for Innovation at USC and Executive Director of the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation, which manages licensing of the DMFC patent portfolio on behalf of USC and Caltech.  ”We now look forward to continuing our efforts to move this technology into the market, through additional licenses with other companies, both in the U.S. and abroad.”

“SFC Energy AG is a leader in the application of DMFC technology, and we are very pleased to be working with their U.S. affiliate,” said Fred Farina, Caltech’s Chief Innovation Officer.

Dr. Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Energy AG, characterized the license agreement as “a key element of our strategic plan for growing the company.  With this license in place, we are well positioned to bring our reliable alternative energy sources to U.S. consumers.”

Award to Demonstrate a 60 Kilowatt Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Module

DANBURY, Conn. — FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL) a leading manufacturer of ultra-clean, efficient and reliable power plants using renewable and other fuels for commercial, industrial, government, and utility customers, today announced an $11.7 million cost share award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for Phase III of the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) coal-based systems program. The SECA program is a collaboration among the Federal Government, private industry, and academia to develop megawatt-class solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power plants that use coal syngas to generate electricity. Power generation from coal syngas advances the nation’s energy security while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The total Phase III program cost is $11.7 million, of which $8.2 million will be funded by the DOE.

The objective for this Phase III award is to build and operate an SOFC module with output of 60 kilowatts (kW) utilizing the cell and stack designs of Versa Power Systems, Inc., the technology partner of FuelCell Energy. The design of the 60 kW SOFC module is scalable, allowing a building block approach to create 250 kW modules or larger. The SOFC module is fuel flexible, capable of operating on many fuels including natural gas, coal syngas or renewable biogas.  This award will help to accelerate the development of affordable SOFC modules with enhanced performance and endurance.

“Clean power generated from coal addresses both environmental and domestic energy security concerns,” said Chris Bentley, Executive Vice President, Government R&D Operations, Strategic Manufacturing Development, FuelCell Energy, Inc. ”The ability to continue development, although on a limited scale, is vital for achieving the goal of providing the nation with clean power from an abundant domestic resource.”

The USA has approximately one quarter of the world’s recoverable coal deposits, the largest of any nation. Almost half of the power generated in the USA is from coal and this coal generated power contributes over one quarter of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions.  Fuel cells operating on coal syngas can generate clean power with virtually zero pollutants and significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The 60 kW SOFC module is expected to begin operating in the summer of 2012 at the Company’s facility in Danbury, CT and the award concludes in the fall of 2012. FuelCell Energy will continue to partner with Versa Power Systems, Inc., managing the project and developing and testing the stack module and power plant designs. Versa Power Systems will continue to develop the core SOFC technology.

Versa Power Systems, Inc. is a leading developer of environmentally friendly solid oxide fuel cells, a clean-tech source of power to generate electricity for a range of applications. Headquartered in Littleton, Colorado, the Company has built systems integral to research projects conducted by partners including Fortune 500 industrial manufacturers, government agencies and associations focused on energy research. FuelCell Energy, Inc. owns approximately 39 percent of Versa Power Systems, Inc.

About FuelCell Energy

DFC® fuel cells are generating power at over 60 locations worldwide. The Company’s power plants have generated over 700 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

Ceramic Fuel Cells’ solid oxide fuel cells can deliver significant benefits in electricity production and carbon reduction to thousands of Australian buildings, a team at RMIT University’s Centre for Design has found.
The high quality of power and reliability of electricity generated from fuel cells – which can deliver electricity without large surges, spikes and outages – mean they have great potential in industries like banking, data centres, grocery chains and storage facilities. Fuel cells are also cost-efficient alternatives to batteries in serving as back-up power systems.
Deepak Sivaraman, Simon Lockrey and Andrew Carre – authors of Potential Opportunities for Increased Fuel Cell Deployment in Australia: A Ceramic Fuel Cell Case Study – determined that Ceramic Fuel Cells’ technology could be utilized in many ways to either aid buildings earn energy and low carbon accreditation or comply with new, green building codes.
Over the past decade in Australia electricity demand increased at an annual average rate of 2.7%. Each year in Australia around 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere from electricity and heat production from non-renewable resources.
According to the RMIT report, the transition to a low carbon electricity sector in the future is “very necessary”, and can be achieved using both renewable and low carbon technologies.
“The solid oxide fuel cell technology manufactured by Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (CFCL) is a clean technology option for the … future,” the report says. “Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (CFCL) is a global pioneer in manufacturing solid oxide fuel cell technology. It is a co-generation system: it has the flexibility to generate different amounts of electricity and heat from natural gas inputs.”
The paper explores the following federal and state regulatory structures, which cover a variety of buildings including homes, offices, hotels, retail outlets, schools, libraries and hospitals.
– National Australia Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)
– Green Building Council of Australia; Green Star Rating Tool
– Australian Building Codes Board: Alternate Energy Supply for Hot Water
– New South Wales Energy Efficiency Scheme
– Green Star Public Building Pilot Tool
– NSW BASIX Program
The RMIT paper explains that the NABERS and Green Star Rating system (Green Building Council of Australia) awards higher ratings to the buildings based on the difference in carbon intensity between onsite fuel cell generation and grid electricity generation.
The authors recommend that states with more carbon-intensive electricity grids such as Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and Victoria be targeted for fuel cell deployment. Under the NABERS scheme a typical commercial building using high efficiency fuel cells to produce 100% of its electricity needs will obtain a five-star rating – the highest possible (the study example uses a 100 m(2) ‘market average performing’ commercial building, or 2.5 stars on grid electricity, in NSW).
The report also concludes that solid oxide fuel cells can also be used under the New South Wales Energy Efficiency Scheme and NSW BASIX Program to create greenhouse gas abatement certificates. In the case of the New South Wales Energy Efficiency Scheme these certificates can be sold for a market price. Under the NSW BASIX Program the fuel cell technology can be utilized to comply with state regulations – in both new and existing buildings.
Similarly, the technology can also be used to supply hot water to different types of buildings under the Australian building code framework. The latest Green Star Public Buildings Tool makes a provision for low carbon technologies to be utilized, enabling buildings to earn credit points through reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

I2BF, the international clean technology asset management group, has today announced that it has completed its second investment within the UK by participating in the class C Ordinary Share financing of ACAL Energy Ltd. Other investors in the company include Carbon Trust Investment Partnership and Solvay SA.

ACAL Energy (ACAL) is a UK based developer of novel fuel cell power modules and consumable chemicals for a variety of applications, including off grid power for telecoms and automotive power trains. I2BF’s investment will be used to continue the research and development of ACAL’s unique cost effective Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), helping achieve the increased performance and cost improvements necessary for the commercial launch.

Speaking about the investment, David Waserstein, Partner and Director of Investments at I2BF, said: “We are delighted to be involved in early stage companies like ACAL that are developing and commercialising cutting-edge clean technologies. ACAL ’s technology can play a significant role in the adoption of fuel cells as a clean and efficient way of generating electricity. This will be particularly interesting to global automakers that are developing fuel cell electric vehicles for commercial launch in 2015. In addition we see exceptional growth potential in markets where distributed generation is critical and natural gas is readily available. ”

ACAL has demonstrated capability to take well-proven technology from outside of the fuel cell industry and apply it to build innovative PEMFCs that address the inherent technical limitations of the cathode side of membrane based Fuel Cells at a cost level that can compete with existing technologies. When compared to conventional fuel cells based on a platinum catalyst, ACAL’s PEMFCs has the potential to reduce platinum content by 90% and reduce fundamental costs by 40%, at the same time improving reliability.

A scanning electron microscope image of tiny silicon pillars, used to absorb light. When dotted with the new catalyst and exposed to sunlight, these pillars efficiently generate hydrogen gas from the hydrogen ions liberated by splitting water. Each pillar is approximately two micrometers in diameter. (Image courtesy of Christian D. Damsgaard, Thomas Pedersen and Ole Hansen, Technical University of Denmark.)

Menlo Park, Calif.—Scientists have engineered a cheap, abundant alternative to the expensive platinum catalyst and coupled it with a light-absorbing electrode to make hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water.

The discovery is an important development in the worldwide effort to mimic the way plants make fuel from sunlight, a key step in creating a green energy economy. It was reported last week in Nature Materials by theorist Jens Nørskov of the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University and a team of colleagues led by Ib Chorkendorff and Søren Dahl at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

Hydrogen is an energy dense and clean fuel, which upon combustion releases only water. Today, most hydrogen is produced from natural gas which results in large CO2-emissions. An alternative, clean method is to make hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water. The process is called photo-electrochemical, or PEC, water splitting. When sun hits the PEC cell, the solar energy is absorbed and used for splitting water molecules into its components, hydrogen and oxygen.

Progress has so far been limited in part by a lack of cheap catalysts that can speed up the generation of hydrogen and oxygen. A vital part of the American-Danish effort was combining theory and advanced computation with synthesis and testing to accelerate the process of identifying new catalysts. This is a new development in a field that has historically relied on trial and error. “If we can find new ways of rationally designing catalysts, we can speed up the development of new catalytic materials enormously,” Nørskov said.

The team first tackled the hydrogen half of the problem. The DTU researchers created a device to harvest the energy from part of the solar spectrum and used it to power the conversion of single hydrogen ions into hydrogen gas. However, the process requires a catalyst to facilitate the reaction. Platinum is already known as an efficient catalyst, but platinum is too rare and too expensive for widespread use. So the collaborators turned to nature for inspiration.

They investigated hydrogen producing enzymes—natural catalysts—from certain organisms, using a theoretical approach Nørskov’s group has been developing to describe catalyst behavior. “We did the calculations,” Nørskov explained, “and found out why these enzymes work as well as they do.” These studies led them to related compounds, which eventually took them to molybdenum sulfide. “Molybdenum is an inexpensive solution” for catalyzing hydrogen production, Chorkendorff said.

The team also optimized parts of the device, introducing a “chemical solar cell” designed to capture as much solar energy as possible. The experimental researchers at DTU designed light absorbers that consist of silicon arranged in closely packed pillars, and dotted the pillars with tiny clusters of the molybdenum sulfide. When they exposed the pillars to light, hydrogen gas bubbled up—as quickly as if they’d used costly platinum.

The hydrogen gas-generating device is only half of a full photo-electrochemical cell. The other half of the PEC would generate oxygen gas from the water; though hydrogen gas is the goal, without the simultaneous generation of oxygen, the whole PEC cell shuts down. Many groups—including Chorkendorff, Dahl and Nørskov and their colleagues—are working on finding catalysts and sunlight absorbers to do this well. “This is the most difficult half of the problem, and we are attacking this in the same way as we attacked the hydrogen side,” Dahl said.

Nørskov looks forward to solving that problem as well. “A sustainable energy choice that no one can afford is not sustainable at all,” he said. “I hope this approach will enable us to choose a truly sustainable fuel.”

SLAC is a multi-program laboratory exploring frontier questions in photon science, astrophysics, particle physics and accelerator research. Located in Menlo Park, California, SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.

SUNCAT is a DOE Office of Science-sponsored research center at SLAC in partnership with the Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, to explore catalytic processes for energy conversion and efficiency.

The Technical University of Denmark, DTU is a technical university in northern Europe. The research focus is on technical and natural sciences such as catalysis, photonics, wind energy, biotechnology and telecommunication.

The Center for Individual Nanoparticle Functionality, CINF, is funded by the Danish National Research foundation and is focusing on nanoparticle functionality in conjunction with energy harvesting, conversion and production.

Catalysis for Sustainable Energy, CASE, is a cross disciplinary initiative funded by the Danish Ministry of Science. The goal is to develop rules of catalyst design and use these rules to design cheap, efficient and stable catalysts for converting solar energy into fuels.

UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company, today announced that the Town of Hamden, Conn., and the Hamden Board of Education have signed a 10-year Energy Services Agreement (ESA) to furnish, install and operate a UTC Power fuel cell at Hamden High School. The 400 kilowatt (kW) fuel cell will provide 90 percent of the high school’s annual electricity requirements and its byproduct thermal energy will be used to heat the school during winter months as well as provide heat year-round to the school’s swimming pool.

Hamden High School’s PureCell System Model 400 fuel cell, a combined heat and power system, will be supported with a grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) through its On-Site Renewable Distributed Generation Program. The grant consists of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds being managed by CCEF.

“The Town of Hamden has been a leader in its support of clean energy,” said Dale Hedman, acting president of CCEF. “This fuel cell project joins a growing list of green initiatives being implemented in Hamden, including the CCEF-supported 4 kW solar photovoltaics installation at the community center and the 5 kW system at the middle school. Hamden and its Board of Education have been true leaders in their efforts to educate residents about the need for and benefits of clean energy generation. We applaud them for their work.”

The Town of Hamden and Board of Education anticipate that the 400 kW PureCell System will reduce the school’s energy costs by $800,000 over the 10-year duration of the contract.

“I’m very happy that more clean energy is coming to Hamden, and that the town will benefit from reduced emissions and cost savings,” said Mayor Scott Jackson. The town’s Board of Education shares the Mayor’s enthusiasm for the project.

“I’m very pleased that we are moving forward with this exciting project,” said Adam Sendroff, chairman of the Hamden Board of Education’s operations committee. “This fuel cell will play an integral role in our green initiatives here in Hamden.”

The fuel cell at Hamden High School will offer a variety of benefits to the school, its students and the environment. The Board of Education is planning to include the fuel cell as part of the science curriculum offered at the high school.

“We think it’s important for the students to learn about the the benefits of their school’s fuel cell. We want them to recognize its role in the day-to-day operation of the school, from providing reliable electricity to supplying the heat to warm the swimming pool,” added Sendroff.

The PureCell System Model 400 incorporates UTC Power’s latest technology and design innovations and builds on the company’s unmatched fuel cell fleet durability and 10 million hours of operating experience. The Model 400 provides customers with an industry-leading 90 percent system efficiency, 10-year cell stack durability and 20-year product life.

“The Model 400 offers our customers lower energy costs, reduced emissions, 24/7 assured power and an industry-best system efficiency and product life. No other stationary fuel cell product in the field today can offer the same range of benefits,” said Neal Montany, director of UTC Power’s stationary business. “UTC Power is proud to partner with the Town of Hamden, the Hamden Board of Education and CCEF on this project. We are thrilled that Hamden High School has plans to incorporate the technology and benefits of the Model 400 into the school’s science curriculum. We believe it is important to teach students and the general public that our fuel cells are not the technology of tomorrow but are here today generating efficient, secure and clean power to familiar everyday places like schools, supermarkets, hospitals and hotels.”

By generating most of its power on-site with UTC Power’s PureCell System, Hamden High School will reduce its burden on the local grid and the environment. The fuel cell will reduce the school’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than 809 metric tons, the equivalent to planting more than 187 acres of trees. In addition, the PureCell System is designed to operate in water-balance –– annually saving the high school more than 3.8 million gallons of water when compared to central generation and other fuel cell technologies. The PureCell System is expected to be operational by the end of this year and will help the Town of Hamden exceed its clean energy goals of 20 percent by 2012.

On April 29, the three fuel cell vehicles embarked on their 19th leg, leading them from Xi’An to Jiayuguan and thereby covering a distance of 1,400 kilometers in three days time. All in all, the tour therewith travelled about 4,000 kilometers in China. On May 2nd the tour therefore takes a one-day break in Jiayuguan before the F-CELL World Drive finally sets off for Kazakhstan.