Chris Huhne MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change visits Intelligent Energy (08/03/11)

UK secretary of state for energy and climate change Chris Huhne has visited Intelligent Energy's headquarters in Loughborough, where he met the firm's chief executive Dr Henri Winand.

Mr Huhne was taken on a tour of the facility and discussed the commercialisation and manufacturing of hydrogen fuel cell technology in the UK.

He received a hands-on demonstration of the Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter, developed in partnership with Suzuki Motor Corporation, and test drove the Fuel Cell Black Cab – a fleet of which is likely to hit London by 2012.

"The zero emissions London taxi, developed here in Loughborough, looks and performs just like a conventional taxi, even over longer distances. It's a great British innovation and I look forward to seeing them in service in London next year," said Mr Huhne.

Suzuki's Fuel-Cell Scooter Survives First Road Test (09/03/11)

The Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter has become the first fuel cell vehicle to receive the Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) certification.

WVTA certification means the scooter design is safe to use on public roads without having to be inspected and tested individually, opening up the path for commercial production and sale in Europe.

"This is an important day in the history of fuel cell technology and a huge step towards cleaner, more efficient vehicles being part of the mainstream," said Dr Henri Winand, chief executive officer of Intelligent Energy, which co-produced the vehicle with Suzuki.

Waste-to-Energy Demo Planned With Ballard Fuel Cells & Hydrogen From Waste Processing (15/03/11)

Ballard Power Systems has partnered with GS Platech, one of South Korea's largest petroleum refiners, to demonstrate waste-to-energy power generation using zero-emission fuel cells and hydrogen produced from the processing of municipal solid waste.

GS Platech's pilot plant in Cheongsong, South Korea is capable of treating five tonnes of organic solid waste per day using plasma gasification technology, producing enough high purity hydrogen to generate 50 kilowatts of power.

"While conventional waste combustion - such as garbage incineration - can lead to the discharge of carcinogenic pollutants, our technology drastically reduces emissions," said Young Suk Kim, vice-president of GS Platech.

Ballard, with financial support from the Canadian government, will supply a fuel cell generator that will be fuelled by this hydrogen.

Fuel Cells to be Highlighted at ProMat 2011 (16/03/11)

US forklift manufacturer Crown Equipment Corporation promoted fuel cells at Promat 2011, a materials handling and logistics trade show held in Chicago last month.

The firm held a workshop, organised by the US Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Laboratory with the Material Handling Industry of America, to make the case for stepping up research and development (R&D) of onboard hydrogen storage systems.

Crown's director of new technology and R&D Eric Jensen believes the development of a replaceable hydrogen cartridge or bottle for forklift trucks is essential to facilitating the use of fuel cells in smaller fleets.

Plug Power Pushes Message of Commercial Viability for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Solutions (16/03/11)

Clean energy firm Plug Power Inc is pushing hydrogen fuel cell systems not only as a solution for the future, but as a commercially-viable alternative for today.

The firm said it wants to remind policy makers and business leaders on a daily basis of the importance of fuel cell technology.

Plug Power's GenDrive fuel cell units are already replacing lead-acid batteries in material handling and industrial trucks in some of North America's largest distribution and manufacturing businesses, including Walmart, FedEx Freight, BMW and Sysco.

"Not only are fuel cells delivering clean, reliable and efficient power to major corporations, military installations and college campuses across the country, they are generating high wage, green jobs, too," said Ruth Cox, president and executive director of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association. 

"Fuel cells and hydrogen energy systems are American engineered, American manufactured and domestically fuelled, supporting US goals for energy independence and a robust clean energy economy."

LOGANEnergy Contracted for US Federal Demonstration (16/03/11)

LOGANEnergy has been contracted by the US Army Corps of Engineers for a major fuel cell demonstration programme funded by the US Department of Energy. 

The firm will implement 19 fuel cell back-up power systems at nine Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and NASA facilities.

Fuel cells for the two-year project, which will be used as uninterruptable power supplies to back up critical loads, will be provided by several manufacturers, including Altergy Systems, Hydrogenics Corporation, IdaTech and ReliOn.

Mercedes-Benz to build its own production fuel cell stacks in Canada (17/03/11)

Mercedes-Benz has decided to establish its own production of fuel cell stacks in Canada.

The decision is seen as the next step of Daimler's successful cooperation with Ford and Ballard in Vancouver, where the fuel cell stack used in the current Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL and the Citaro FuelCell Hybrid city bus was developed.

Construction of the facility for the production of stacks for fuel cell vehicles will begin immediately in a 2,000 sq/m space in Burnaby, near Vancouver.

Production of next-generation fuel cell stacks will commence in 2013 and will be suitable for use in saloons such as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class or E-Class.

Mercedes F-Cell makes future look perfectly normal (01/04/11)

The announcement of the new fuel cell stack facility near Vancouver gave Mercedes-Benz the opportunity to showcase its B-Class F-Cell.

Its fuel cell vehicle is not simply a concept for the future, but an efficient vehicle for today. The B-Class F-Cell produces 136 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque from Rev One, giving the same performance as a standard car powered by a two-litre petrol engine.

It takes just three minutes to refuel and consumes the equivalent of 3.3 litres of fuel for every 100km driven.

DOE Announces Funding Opportunity for Applied Research and Development in Hydrogen Storage Technologies (18/03/11)

The US Department of Energy's Fuel Cell Technologies Program has earmarked up to $12 million (£7.4 million) to advance hydrogen storage technologies for use in fuel cell powered vehicles and other applications.

Funding will be available for the development of low-cost, novel hydrogen storage vessels, low-cost fibres for composite tanks to reduce the overall costs of hydrogen storage, and for practical hydrogen storage materials for diverse applications.

The DOE said the cash will support its goal to accelerate innovations that reduce the costs of low-carbon energy sources.

Fuel Cell Plant Opens in Hungary (21/03/11)

A hydrogen fuel cell plant has been opened by industrial electronics supplier Kontakt-Elektro in Pecs, south-west Hungary.

The plant, the first of its kind in the country, cost 250 million Hungarian forint (£826,000), with HUF 100 million (£330,000) of that coming from the European Union.

Fuel cells produced at the facility are intended for use as small portable generators for recreational vehicles and hospital equipment.

Kontakt-Elektro estimates revenue from its fuel cell division will be HUF 20 million (£66,000) this year.

Altergy's Fuel Cells Achieve Major Clean Energy Milestone - Over 5 Million Hours of Operation (23/03/11)

Altergy Systems announced that its international fleet of deployed Freedom Power Systems has accumulated over five million operational hours.

The firm's zero-emission fuel cell electrical power generators provide clean, safe power at the point of use, eliminating the need for batteries and generators and providing an uninterrupted power supply for "mission critical applications".

"Surpassing five million hours of actual field operation is a major achievement," said Altergy chief executive officer Eric Mettler.

"We're extremely proud that our Freedom Power Systems are now providing clean and safe zero emission power in thousands of locations around the world."

Hydrogenics Awarded Contract to Deliver Hydrogen Powered Fuel Cell Power Modules for Hybrid Ferry (25/03/11)

Hydrogenics Corporation has received a contract from Statue Cruises LLC, a subsidiary of Hornblower Cruises & Events, for the delivery of two HyPM HD 16 fuel cell power modules delivering up to 33 kilowatts of continuous power.

The 600-passenger Hornblower Hybrid will be propelled by hydrogen fuel cells, along with wind turbines, solar panels and a tier 2 diesel engine for additional energy needs.

"Delivering our standard fuel cell power modules allows customers to rapidly deploy fuel cells in a wide variety of challenging environments," said Daryl Wilson, president and chief executive officer of Hydrogenics Corporation.

Terry MacRae, chief executive of Statue Cruises LLC and Hornblower Cruises & Events, said the technology on the Hornblower Hybrid could also be used for other hybrid ferries, yachts and tugs.

Long Island's First Hydrogen Station Opens (30/03/11)

The first hydrogen fuelling station on Long Island has been officially opened and is supplying two Toyota fuel cell SUVs.

Located at Point Lookout, the facility is part of Hempstead town's Clean Energy Project, which is examining the viability of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.

The $2.2 million (£1.36 million) station was part-funded by National Grid and the New York State Energy Research Development Authority.

IdaTech Participates in Hutchison Indonesia Telecommunications Fuel Cell Press Conference (31/03/11)

Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell products developer IdaTech took part in the Indonesian Hutchison Telecommunications (HCPT) fuel cell press conference on March 9th.

Over 150 IdaTech backup power fuel cell systems have been installed on Hutchison Indonesia's network instead of traditional diesel generators.

Indonesia minister of communication Bapak Tifatul Sembiring attended the press conference, commenting: "We congratulate PT Hutchison Indonesia for using fuel cells and hope this initiative can be developed by other operators as an example."

IdaTech's ElectraGen H2-I backup fuel cell system was on display at the press conference to highlight the benefits of using fuel cells.

American Fuel Cell Manufacturer ClearEdge Power First of Its Kind to Receive Internationally Recognized Korean Gas Safety Certification (30/03/11)

ClearEdge Power has become the first fuel cell maker to be awarded the Korean Gas Safety Corporation's (KGS) internationally recognised safety certification for its five-kilowatt high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

Companies must gain certification to market fuel cells in Korea and the news comes after a $40 million (£24.8 million) distribution agreement with LS Industrial Systems.

"We are pleased to have achieved this important milestone, and to have received KGS's support with international certifications, gas safety consulting and joint projects in an effort to promote our fuel cell system throughout Korea, Asia and the Pacific region," said Key Lee, ClearEdge Power managing director.

f-cell 2011:"Fuel cells and batteries move the future" (31/03/11)

Over 800 experts from companies and research facilities from around the world are to meet at the international fuel cell specialist forum f-cell in Stuttgart.

In 2011, the event will take place on September 26th and 27th, and will focus on mobile applications of the fuel cell.

"The industry is converging internationally," said Peter Sauber, chief executive of the Peter Sauber Agency which is helping to organise f-cell 2011 with the economic promotion agency Wirtschaftsforderung Region Stuttgart.

"Very soon hydrogen-driven cars are to be driven on our roads - a plan that will only work out if we have the corresponding filling stations by that time. This is why hydrogen production and infrastructure have been assigned a separate topic forum."  

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