FuelCellsWorks

AUSTIN, Texas — Applied Nanotech Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB:APNT) announced that it has been awarded a Phase I SBIR grant, in the amount of $149,426, from the US Department of Energy to develop ultra lightweight hydrogen fuel tanks using carbon nanotube reinforcement.

This grant was awarded for a 9-month program with an overall objective to significantly improve the mechanical properties of the carbon fiber/epoxy material used to construct the hydrogen fuel tanks using carbon nanotube reinforcement. The primary goal is to reduce the weight of the tanks by 20 to 30 percent. A weight reduction of this magnitude will not only significantly lower the hydrogen fuel tank costs but also increase the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.

The International Association of Natural Gas Vehicles reported that sales of composite pressure vessels are expected to reach $250 million by 2013, and upwards of $560 million by the end of the decade; the adoption of nanotechnology enhanced resins in high pressure hydrogen storage vessels represents an immense opportunity for near term commercialization. Today, the price of carbon fiber is the main driver of the hydrogen pressure vessel’s cost; by incorporating carbon nanotubes into the resin matrix, the resin itself can absorb much of the load currently absorbed by the carbon fiber reinforcement. Using carbon nanotube enhanced resins will undoubtedly decrease the carbon fiber required to construct a functioning hydrogen pressure vessel. The value of this decrease will not only be realized in lower material costs but also in lighter pressure vessels, enabling a more streamlined manufacturing and supply chain process and ultimately a more efficient vehicle.

Applied Nanotech has developed carbon nanotube reinforced epoxies, vinyl esters, and polyesters for carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforced composites. These composites can apply to a wide range of products including: sporting goods, aerospace, automotive, renewable energy, ballistics, and many other applications.

“I am very pleased to see that our nanocomposite technology, first commercialized for sporting goods – badminton racquets and golf club shafts – with Yonex Corporation, is starting to gain traction in other commercial applications with very large market potential,” said Dr. Zvi Yaniv, CEO of Applied Nanotech, Inc.

“Nanocomposite materials are a very important part of our business. We are currently working with a variety of companies across several industries to tailor our composite materials to improve the underlying products of our potential customers,” said Doug Baker, CEO of Applied Nanotech Holdings, Inc.

About APPLIED NANOTECH HOLDINGS, INC.

Applied Nanotech Holdings, Inc. is a premier research and commercialization organization focused on solving problems at the molecular level. Its team of PhD level scientists and engineers work with companies and other organizations to solve technical impasses and create innovations that will create a competitive advantage. The business model is to license patents and technology to partners that will manufacture and distribute products using the technology. Applied Nanotech has over 300 patents or patents pending. Applied Nanotech’s website is www.appliednanotech.net.

Guildford–AFC Energy, the world’s leading developer of low cost alkaline fuel cells, is pleased to announce that it is currently commissioning its first commercial-scale, Beta, alkaline fuel cell system. This is a significant step for AFC Energy as the Company finalises preparations for commercialisation.

AFC Energy is near to completing the Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) study of its Beta fuel cell system, which involves an analysis of all foreseeable deviations and is necessary to achieve the second installation. The Beta system, which is being constructed at Dunsfold, Surrey, will provide the test bed for future developments prior to, or in parallel with, deployment at partners’ premises.

Today’s announcement builds on a recent progress report from Dr Jon Helliwell, Project Manager of Fuel Cell Applications at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI). Following a detailed assessment of AFC Energy’s technical activity, Dr Helliwell’s fifth report concluded that AFC Energy has made good progress on all actions needed to complete the HAZOP study.

Ian Balchin, Deputy Chairman of AFC Energy, commented:
“The Beta system is the tangible result of our continued rapid technical progress. With low lifetime-cost at its heart, this modular fully scalable fuel cell system is designed to place AFC Energy as a leader in clean energy generation.”

AFC Energy is inviting stakeholders to come and see the Beta system for themselves at the Company’s premises in Dunsfold. Open days will be held in the autumn, at which places are expected to be in high demand.

The rapid progress made by AFC Energy in the last few months has contributed to a number of key industry tie ups. Last month Linc Energy, the global leader in underground coal gasification, increased its shareholding in AFC Energy from 10 per cent to 12 per cent. Combined with funding from existing investors, this enabled the Company to raise £3.95 million net.

Earlier this year AFC Energy announced a Memorandum of Understanding with leading retailer the John Lewis Partnership, to evaluate the economic potential of using one of its fuel cell system to generate low carbon emission electricity for Waitrose supermarkets and John Lewis stores. The Company also signed a binding Heads of Terms with N2telligence GmbH relating to the use of alkaline fuel cells for fire protection, opening up yet another avenue for AFC Energy’s fuel cells.

Beta System Update & Notice of Results

First Installation of Commercial Scale System

AFC Energy PLC (AIM: AFC), the developer of low cost alkaline fuel cells, is pleased to confirm that it continues to make good progress and is currently commissioning its first Beta alkaline fuel cell system.

Highlights

· Completion of first stage of Beta system commissioning at Dunsfold, Surrey;

· Good progress on completion of HAZOP (see footnote) with no onerous re-design requirements;

· On track to deliver its commercial-scale Beta system once the HAZOP study is successfully complete;

· Shareholder open days to be held in September/October.

The Company has made significant progress on completing the hazard and operability (”HAZOP”) study and has incorporated the emerging improvements from that study into its first Beta alkaline fuel cell system. This system, which is being constructed at Dunsfold, Surrey, will provide the test bed and demonstration for future developments prior to, or in parallel with, deployment at partners’ premises.

AFC Energy is also pleased to announce that this Beta alkaline fuel cell system has successfully completed the first phase of the commissioning process.

The Board of directors of AFC Energy (”Board”) considers that the investment of time and effort in addressing the HAZOP systematically will have long term benefits in terms of partner confidence and commercial deployment of future systems. The Board is pleased to confirm that none of the issues arising from the HAZOP require a significant re-design of the system but acknowledges that it slightly under-estimated the time required to address all points comprehensively.

AFC Energy remains on track to deliver its commercial-scale Beta system once the HAZOP study is successfully complete.

AFC Energy is also pleased to advise shareholders that they will be able to see the first Beta system at the Company’s premises in Dunsfold, Surrey during open days on 15 September and 12 October 2011. It is anticipated that this system will incorporate all of the improvements from the HAZOP. Places at the open days will be limited and are offered to all shareholders on a first come first served basis through the Company’s website.

Ian Balchin, AFC Energy’s Executive Deputy Chairman, said: “We are pleased with the continued rapid progress of this modular, commercial-scale product. We have found the HAZOP process to be extremely valuable and believe that it will stand us in good stead for the future. We are working closely with our commercial partners on the first sites for field demonstration.”

Notice of Results

AFC Energy expects to update shareholders with further announcements concerning its progress with the Beta system shortly. The Company will also be announcing its results, for the six months to 30 April 2011, on Thursday 7 July 2011.

ENDS

Note: HAZOP stands for hazard and operability analysis. A hazard and operability study is a systematic analysis of all foreseeable deviations from the normal situations (including disruptions of operations), the causes of these deviations, the consequences and the necessary actions.

For further information, please contact:

About AFC Energy

AFC Energy is a world leading developer of low-cost alkaline fuel cells that uses hydrogen to produce clean electricity. AFC Energy’s technology is focused on large-scale industrial applications and the objective of producing the lowest possible unit cost electricity. AFC Energy’s alkaline fuel cell has the capability to significantly reduce carbon emissions for businesses of all shapes and sizes. The technology is the most efficient method of converting hydrogen into electricity, and by-products, such as low grade heat and water, further increase energy efficiency and commercial value.

CAESAREA, Israel–Energy Technology Ventures – a GE, NRG Energy and ConocoPhillips joint venture – is making its first non-US and first water-related investment by providing capital to Emefcy Ltd, an Israeli company that can turn wastewater treatment from a huge energy drain to an electricity generator.

Emefcy’s technology uses naturally occurring bacteria in an electrogenic bioreactor to treat wastewater. The organic material in the waste produces power and treated water, transforming wastewater treatment from an energy-intensive, cost-intensive and carbon-intensive process, into an energy-generating and carbon-reducing process.

The benefits are both economic and environmental: Conventional wastewater treatment uses 2 percent of global power capacity (80,000 megawatts and 57,000,000 tons per year of carbon dioxide), costing $40 billion per year. Rather than using conventional energy-intensive aerobic processes or methane-producing anaerobic digestion to treat wastewater, Emefcy harvests renewable energy directly from the wastewater and feeds it to the power grid, enabling the energy-positive wastewater treatment plant. The primary initial applications are for wastewater treatment in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and chemical industries, with total market potential of US$10 billion annually.

Energy Technology Ventures was joined in the funding round for Emefcy by Pond Venture Partners, Plan B Ventures and Israel Cleantech Ventures. Financial details were not disclosed.

“We will use Energy Technology Ventures’ investment to continue development of our technology into full-scale commercial implementation by the end of this year for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment,” said Emefcy’s CEO, Eytan Levy. “All told, wastewater treatment is a US$100 billion industry, and our technology can significantly reduce the economic and environmental costs.”

One of the partners in Energy Technology Ventures, GE, is active in wastewater treatment and is expanding its technology focus on Israel, called the “Silicon Valley of water technology.

Israel is an important center for innovation and scientific discovery. GE this month opened its newest multi-disciplinary Research and Development Center, in Haifa. A dozen researchers will be hired to evaluate and work on clean energy, water and healthcare technology projects. The new Israel Technology Center will facilitate the introduction of advanced technologies to GE through partnerships with local technology companies and academia.

The GE investment was made through business unit GE Energy Financial Services, which has made one other investment in an Israeli technology company — SolarEdge, a provider of smart, holistic solar photovoltaic power harvesting and monitoring solutions for maximum energy and cost efficiency. SolarEdge is based in Hod Hasharon, Israel.

About Emefcy

Emefcy www.emefcy.com was founded in early 2008, by serial water technology entrepreneurs Eytan Levy and Ronen Shechter, who also founded AqWise www.aqwise.com Marked as one of the most promising water technology start-up companies, Emefcy is a laureate of many technology leadership awards such as Guardian’s Cleantech 100, Global Water Technologies top 10, Artemis Top 50 and more.

About Energy Technology Ventures

Energy Technology Ventures is a joint venture involving GE (NYSE: GE), NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG), and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) focused on the development of next-generation energy technologies. Bringing together three market-leading companies with a wide range of deep technical and financial expertise, relationships, services and products, the joint venture invests in, and offers commercial collaboration opportunities to, venture- and growth-stage energy technology companies in the renewable power generation, smart grid, energy efficiency, oil, natural gas, coal and nuclear energy, emission controls, water and biofuels sectors, primarily in North America, Europe and Israel. For more information, visit www.energytechnologyventures.com.

About GE Energy Financial Services

GE Energy Financial Services’ experts invest globally with a long-term view, backed by the best of GE’s technical know-how, financial strength and rigorous risk management, across the capital spectrum, in one of the world’s most capital-intensive industries, energy. GE Energy Financial Services helps its customers and GE grow through new investments, strong partnerships and optimization of its US $21 billion in assets. GE Energy Financial Services is based in Stamford, Connecticut. For more information, visit www.geenergyfinancialservices.com.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.ge.com.

Tiny metallic particles produced by University of Adelaide chemistry researchers are bringing new hope for the production of cheap, efficient and clean hydrogen energy.

Led by Associate Professor Greg Metha, Head of Chemistry, the researchers are exploring how the metal nanoparticles act as highly efficient catalysts in using solar radiation to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

“Efficient and direct production of hydrogen from solar radiation provides a renewable energy source that is the pinnacle of clean energy,” said Associate Professor Greg Metha. “We believe this work will contribute significantly to the global effort to convert solar energy into portable chemical energy.”

The latest research is the outcome of 14 years of fundamental research by Associate Professor Metha’s research group investigating the synthesis and properties of metal nanoparticles and how they work as catalysts at the molecular level.

The group works with metal “clusters” of about one-quarter of a nanometre in size – less than 10 atoms. Associate Professor Metha said these tiny “magic clusters” act as super-efficient catalysts. Catalysts drive chemical reactions, reducing the amount of energy required.

“We’ve discovered ways of producing these tiny metallic clusters, we’ve explored their fundamental chemical activity, and now we are applying their catalytic properties to reactions which have great potential benefit for industrial use and the environment,” said Associate Professor Metha.

PhD student Jason Alvino is exploring splitting water to make hydrogen (and oxygen) using solar energy – a process that is not viable for industry development at the moment.

“We know this catalysis works very efficiently at the molecular level and now need to demonstrate it works on the macroscopic scale,” said Associate Professor Metha.

“Splitting water to make hydrogen and oxygen requires a lot of energy and is an expensive process. We will be using solar radiation as the energy source, so there will be no carbon emissions and because the clusters work so efficiently as a catalyst, it will be a much better process.

“The ultimate aim is to produce hydrogen from water as a cheap portable energy source.”

Associate Professor Metha said there were also other industrial chemical reactions that could be made feasible by these catalysts, using solar radiation as the energy source – with potentially significant environmental benefits. One example was converting carbon dioxide into methane or methanol with water.

This project ‘Solar Hydrogen: photocatalytic generation of hydrogen from water’, has been funded under the three-year clean energy partnership between Adelaide Airport Ltd and the University’s Centre for Energy Technology.