The key to successfully implementing residential fuel cells is the reduction of costs, according to Matsushita Electric Industrial. The firm announced this month that they were aiming to lower manufacturing costs to Y1.2 million in 2010 allowing users to introduce the system for about Y600,000, if the government agrees to pay half the cost. This means the investment could be recovered within four years.

A team of chemists at Brown University has consistently created uniform platinum nanocubes - a breakthrough that could make hydrogen fuel cells more efficient and cheaper. Professor Shouheng Sun has found that by shaping the platinum into a cube its efficiency is greatly enhanced. "For the first time, we can control the morphology of the particle to make it more like a cube," Professor Sun said.

Oorja Protonics announced the first public showing of their on-board battery charging system for the material handling industry. The OorjaPac will be demonstrated at a press conference at the NA 2008. Sanjiv Malhorta, Founder of Oorja Protonics, said it made perfect sense to debut the technology at the event. "The NA08 show provides us with the ideal platform for demonstrating the value associated with onboard charging and address any technical questions on OorjaPac," he said.

General Atomics, QinetiQ and Jadoo Power Systems will team up to develop a lightweight, sold-state, fuel-cell power system for military applications with the aim of creating a system that has four times the energy density of current batteries. Tom Lechtenberg, Vice President of Power Systems at General Atomics, said the collaboration would "deliver safe and instant power at just a quarter of the weight of current batteries". The technology will help soldiers who currently need to recharge batteries or carry replacements.

Ballard Power Systems has announced a supply agreement with Heliocentris Fuel Cells AG to supply air-cooled fuel cell products for integration into schools and colleges. The partnership will aim at the post-secondary education market. "The Mark1020 ACSTM is the best choice for our next generation system platforms that will feature flexible integration into various applications and a wide operating temperature range," said Dr Henrik Colell, Chief Executive Officer at Heliocentris.

Ballard has also signed a deal with Raymond Corporation to research lift truck designs with the aim of developing a prototype using the next-generation of Ballard's Mark9 SSL fuel cells. The cells would be used to power Raymond Corporation lift trucks. The deal follows a three-year research programme of hydrogen fuel cells that began in January 2007.

Plug Power attended two major trade shows during April - one in Hannover and the NA 08 in Cleveland, Ohio. At the Hannover Fair, the firm unveiled its high-temperature GenSys technology for residential combined heat and power technology. The system is expected to meet the full heating and comfort needs of homes. Meanwhile, the GenDrive was introduced at the NA08.

When studying hydrogen fuel cells, Masaki Takata from the Spring-8 Centre looked into the absorption of hydrogen and behaviour of palladium nanoparticles and palladium core-platinum shell nanoparticles. The researchers found that palladium nanoparticles did not demonstrate complete reversibility in their hydrogen uptake. This reveals a new understanding of the interactivities between hydrogen and nano-structured solids and it could contribute to the development of practical hydrogen-storage materials.

Ballard Power Systems has established a "strong foundation" on which to accelerate the market of fuel cell products, according to John Sheridan, President and Chief Executive Officer of the firm. "This progress is evidenced by our strong first quarter results, with product shipment growth of 125 per cent, an 18 per cent revenue increase, a 43 per cent improvement in operating cash consumption and announcements of new business relationships with H2 Logic, New Flyer, IdaTech and The Raymond Corporation," he explained.

Relion has secured an additional $2.3 million in equity financing that had brought investment from PCG Clean Energy & Technology, LLC and Robeco Clean Tech. "ReliOn represents a unique opportunity to invest in an alternative energy enterprise with substantial current market opportunities in worldwide backup power markets that are seeking new and superior technologies," said Jasandra Nyker, Vice President of the PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund.