FuelCellsWorks

TORINO, Italy–Electro Power Systems SpA (ElectroPS) has been selected by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer 2012, a prestigious award granted to visionary companies whose cutting edge technologies are transforming business and society. The honor was presented in recognition of the company’s use of fuel cell technology to provide clean back-up power, and power grid/renewables extension and optimization, anywhere in the world.

An integral part of the ElectroPS advantage is the ElectroSelf^TM fuel cell system, the World’s only self-recharging, logistics-free backup power solution. ElectroSelf is an enabling technology for Distributed Energy. It significantly increases the value of small-scale renewables infrastructures by minimizing the mismatch in energy production and consumption. It does this by efficiently storing energy from the grid or when renewables are plentiful, and instantaneously releasing energy whenever there is a power dip or outage.

News highlights:

• Since 2000, the World Economic Forum has recognized innovative start-ups from around the world whose cutting-edge technologies are transforming business and society
• ElectroPS was selected based on its unique vision, pragmatic execution and its ElectroSelf fuel cell system
• ElectroPS combines revolutionary long-term vision (easy-to-use fuel cells at an accessible price) with concrete and pragmatic execution (over 600 units have been installed within core markets worldwide)
• ElectroPS is delivering automatically rechargeable clean backup power all over the world. Its high-performance fuel cell power solutions minimize the mismatch in energy production and consumption both on and off-grid.
• More information can be found at www.electrops.it

About Electro Power Systems

Italian-based Electro Power Systems is the emerging leader in fuel cell systems for mission-critical backup power applications. Its self-recharging ElectroSelf platform was named “Most Innovative Product Enabling a Greener World” at the GSMA’s Mobile Innovation EMEA event in June 2009. The Company has a robust Intellectual Property portfolio, a track record of successful innovation and a growing revenue base. At present, over 600 fuel cell power systems have been installed within Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. ElectroPS is still managed by its cofounders and has recently opened branches within the UK and India. Its shareholders include selected strategic partners and key institutional investors.

Minister of State (Science and Technology) Gary Goodyear, Fleetwood-Port Kells MP Nina Grewal and Simon Fraser University president Andrew Petter learn about the eVaro vehicle from Future Vehicle Technologies.

Simon Fraser University researchers are receiving almost $5 million in funding from the federal government to develop new technology for hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cells.

Two local companies – Ballard Power Systems and Future Vehicle Technologies (FVT) Inc. – are partnering with SFU researchers to further their technology and are contributing financially to the projects.

In support of this industry-university collaboration, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is investing $4.1 million to help SFU and Ballard to create the next generation of heavy-duty (bus) fuel cells with enhanced durability.

Fuel cell-powered buses provide a clean, quiet, low-emission solution for urban transit services. The research program, based at SFU’s Surrey campus, will focus on developing a fuel cell that is cheaper to produce and lasts longer.

Erik Kjeang, an assistant professor with SFU’s Mechatronics Systems Engineering program, says Ballard’s current fuel cell module – the HD6 – is presently used by several transit systems. BC Transit uses 20 of the special buses in its fleet in Whistler. Kjeang’s team is working on the new HD7 fuel cell module.

“It’s important to know this is something that will help the automotive industry in Canada, especially in this case with the transition from the incumbent internal combustion engine to new drivetrain technologies based on cleaner engines, such as fuel cell systems,” says Kjeang. “Our research aims to make fuel cells more competitive on a financial basis.”

There are three SFU Mechatronics and three SFU Chemistry students working on the three-year project right now, but the NSERC funding will allow Kjeang to hire two to three dozen additional researchers. The majority of the hires will be SFU students, with some collaboration from the University of Victoria.

Not only will the SFU team work on new technology, it will also prepare students to become fuel cell technology experts.

“In this project, not only will we be developing the new technology, we’ll be training dozens of people to be future leaders in this field and that’s something the industry is really needing right now,” says Kjeang. “It’s a huge challenge for the automotive industry to move to new clean energy vehicles.”

PHILADELPHIA, PA– Early production stage hydrogen generation company AlumiFuel Power, Inc. (”API”), the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based wholly owned operating subsidiary of AlumiFuel Power Corporation (OTCBB: AFPW) (the “Company”), announced today that it is developing a new member of the Portable Balloon Inflation System (PBIS) family — the PBIS-2000 — at the request of a new, unspecified military customer with an urgent requirement.

The PBIS-2000 will expand the capability of API’s current family of hydrogen generators, which includes the PBIS-1000 (for 100g balloons) and the PBIS-lite (designed for 30g pieball balloons). The PBIS-2000 is designed to generate sufficient hydrogen to inflate a 200g weather balloon within 20 minutes. The new system will generate significantly more hydrogen than both the PBIS-1000 and the PBIS-lite using 6 AlumiFuel Catridges contained in a single reactor vessel. While the footprint, weight and safety features of the PBIS-2000 are similar to the PBIS-1000, the configuration has been modified such that the system operates at ambient pressure (below 10 psi).

The current weather balloon market is pegged at $150-$200 million per year, and encompasses military as well as civil government meteorological users worldwide. Traditionally, helium has been used as the primary lift gas for weather balloons, but with the increasing scarcity and cost of helium, users are rapidly switching to hydrogen and API’s PBIS family is far more mobile and cost effective than other on-site hydrogen generation systems. Based on customer feedback, API believes the PBIS family can become field standards and lift gas products of choice for NATO military users and meteorological customers worldwide. After purchasing any unit of the PBIS family, typical customers continue to purchase replacement cartridges to launch up to 700 balloons per unit each year (up to 4,200 cartridges).

API’s Director of Engineering, Mr. Sean McIntosh, said, “We believe PBIS-2000 is a significant addition to our PBIS family. Not only does this system fill an existing gap for much larger weather balloons, which constitute a greater portion of the market, but it represents a significant advancement in the state of hydrogen generation technology. The greatest inhibitor to launching weather balloons in remote locations — where the military operates and considerable meteorological research is done — is the cost and difficulty of transporting the source of lift gas. The PBIS family will drastically reduce these factors, and enable launches in previously inaccessible areas.”

About AlumiFuel Power, Inc.
API (www.alumifuelpowerinc.com), the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based wholly owned operating subsidiary of AlumiFuel Power Corporation, is an early production stage alternative energy company that generates hydrogen gas and steam/heat through the chemical reaction of aluminum, water, and proprietary additives. This technology is ideally suited for multiple applications requiring on-site, on-demand fuel sources, serving National Security and commercial customers. API’s hydrogen feeds fuel cells for portable and back-up power; fills inflatable devices such as weather balloons; can replace costly, hard-to-handle and high pressure K-Cylinders; and provides fuel for flameless heater applications. Its hydrogen/heat output is also being designed and developed to drive fuel cell-based and turbine-based undersea propulsion systems and auxiliary power systems. API has significant differentiators in performance, adaptability, safety and cost-effectiveness in its target market applications, with no external power required and no toxic chemicals or by-products.

About AlumiFuel Power Corporation
AlumiFuel Power Corporation operates through its wholly owned operating subsidiary, AlumiFuel Power, Inc., a Philadelphia-based early production stage alternative energy company that generates hydrogen gas and heat for multiple applications requiring on-site, on-demand fuel sources.

By JANICE PODSADA-The Hartford Courant

The Whole Foods Market in Glastonbury opened Tuesday at noon after losing most, but not all, of its power during Tropical Storm Irene.

“We are on a generator right now. And we also have a fuel cell, which is helping us,” Amy Calandruccio, a Whole Foods spokeswoman, said Tuesday.

A United Technologies Corp. fuel cell, a PureCell200, helps power the store. Calandruccio credited the fuel cell with helping keep the store’s coolers running, but it does not have the capacity to power the entire store

“We are definitely looking busy,” Calandruccio said within 30 minutes of the store’s opening. “All the employees who could be here are here.”