Ballard sells 1-Megawatt distributed generation system to Toyota for California campus facility (28/04/11)

Ballard Power Systems is to deploy a one-megawatt fuel cell generator providing electrical power and heat at the Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) headquarters in Torrance, California.

The CLEARgen system will use hydrogen produced by steam-reformation of renewable biogas generated at landfill, and is expected to cut CO2 emissions by 10,000 tons annually.

"The ability to offset peak electricity usage with an emission-free fuel cell system will create significant savings, while reducing our environmental footprint," said TMS facilities operations manager Mark Yamauchi.


The University of Southern California (USC), the California Institute of Technology and SFC Energy have executed a licence to a portfolio of US patents for direct methanol fuel cell technology.

The patents cover the direct conversion of liquid fuels to electricity through fuel cells, which were previously licensed to other companies.

"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," said Krisztina Z Holly, vice-provost for innovation at USC.


Air Products has agreed to build a hydrogen fuelling station in Flint, Michigan to fuel a hydrogen fuel cell bus owned by the city's Mass Trasnportation Authority, which is expected to be operational by April 2012.

The company will supply hydrogen compression, storage and dispensing technology to fuel the bus.

Previously, Air Products has provided similar facilities for the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District bus system and as part of the Transport for London Project.


Fourteen US senators have called for the Energy Department to continue research into bringing forward hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, as Congress considers next year's budget.

The Obama administration proposed cuts to hydrogen research in its 2012 budget, following Congress approval of a $174 million (£105 million) investment in 2010.

"We urge you to resist repurposing or cutting (fuel cell) programmes that support true energy diversification," said the senators in a letter to energy secretary Steven Chu.


BOC UK has made its Hymera portable fuel cell generator available for commercial applications in the construction, rail, outdoor lighting, security and other sectors.

A single hydrogen cylinder can produce energy to power LED lights equivalent to using 20 litres of diesel over the same time period.

"One Hymera unit can provide enough power to light up an area the size of a tennis court, or 40 metres of rail track," said Stewart Dow, packaged energy manager at BOC.


Torrance and Shell have opened a new pipeline-fed hydrogen station in Torrance, California, providing an alternative to other stations in Irvine and Santa Monica that use truck-delivered hydrogen.

The facility allows up to four vehicles to refuel at once in less the five minutes, drawing gas from Air Products' hydrogen production plants in Wilmington and Carson.


Riversimple is launching an improved version of its hydrogen fuel cell urban car, using a whole new set of components for the new model.

The company uses open source designs, meaning other car makers are free to utilise the technology to create their own vehicles.


British Columbia's premier Christy Clark has announced CA $870,000 (£545,162) in funding for the development of the world's first small-scale hydrogen liquefaction plant in North Vancouver.

"We will continue to champion made-in-BC hydrogen, electricity, and natural gas as clean, green fuels of the future for BC families," she said.

The plant is hoped to help power the Green Highway, which will link hydrogen and electric vehicles between British Columbia and California.


Honda has stated that it will become the latest member of the Clean Energy Partnership, which aims to expand fuel cell vehicle and hydrogen infrastructure.

The partnership brings together carmakers, infrastructure and energy companies and the German government to prepare Europe for the onset of hydrogen-powered mobility.

Supply company Air Liquide has also joined the campaign recently.

JPL-Developed Clean Energy Technology Moves Forward (26/05/2011)

A new fuel cell technology that uses liquid methanol as a fuel to produce electrical energy offers several advantages over standard fuel cells.

The Direct Methanol Fuel Cell, developed by scientists at NASA and the California Institute of Technology, does not require fuel processing.

Designers are hopeful that the technology will prove popular across the US market, as its only byproducts are carbon dioxide and water.

Green Alpine Vehicle: Hydrogen fueled electric snowmobile for snow clad terrains
(16/05/2011)

A new environmentally-friendly snowmobile has been developed which features hydrogen and electric fuel cell modules.

The Green Alpine Vehicle has been designed by Jessica Covi and features hydrogen tanks alongside electric engines, battery and power distribution system.

The vehicle is also fitted with an ergonomically sound seat complete with airbag protection system and GPS technology.

Ballard Receives DOE Award for Lowering Production Costs (25/05/2011)

Ballard Power Systems has been recognised for reducing the manufacturing cost of a material that is integral to its fuel cell product, by improving production processes.

The company received the 2011 Annual Merit Review Award from the US Department of Energy (DoE) for achieving cost reductions during gas diffusion layer material production, but also for improving yields and reducing waste.

Merit Review Award winners are recognised for their specific contribution to the DoE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cells programme and are selected by a peer-review panel, responsible for evaluating a range of different projects.

Bill Foulds, president of Ballard's material products division, said: "Our GDL products are designed to meet the rigorous demands of a wide range of fuel cell applications, from kilowatt-scale backup power systems to megawatt-scale distributed generation solutions."

He added that the cost reduction is in line with Ballard's corporate target to reduce fuel cell production costs by between 20 and 25 per cent each year.

Nippon Steel Presented with Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter (25/05/2011)

The first ever delivery of a Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter outside of the motor corporation has been made to Nippon Steel. The steel manufacturer received the new vehicle at its Kitakyushi Hydrogen Station on May 17th.

Suzuki has plans to fit a number of its vehicles with the new technology, which Intelligent Energy believes is ideal for the Japanese market.

Accepting the delivery, Nippon Steel's chairman Akio Mimura-san explained that the vehicle will run on hydrogen generated at the factory, which the world's fourth-largest steel manufacturer believes can make a significant contribution to the use of alternative energy sources in the country.

Address by the Deputy Minister Derek Hanekom, on the Occasion of the Budget Vote Debate of the Department of Science and Technology
 (24/05/2011)

South Africa is playing a key role in the development of fuel cell technologies that make use of platinum, according to South African science and technology deputy minister Derek Hanekom.

Three HySA centres have been opened up under the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Research, Development and Innovation Strategy, dedicated to developing new technologies that make use of the precious strategic mineral.

Mr Hanekom explained that the mineral is playing an increasingly important role as hydrogen becomes more prominent as an eco-friendly alternative to existing fuels for use in technologies across range of sectors, particularly the automotive industry.

South Africa currently has 75 per cent of the world's known platinum reserves and is responsible for the first prototypes of lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 20 amps per hour, produced at the HySA centres.

City Council Headquarters Demonstrating Fuel Cell Backup Power
(20/05/2011)

Meiningen City Council in Germany has introduced a new 1.2 kWNexa 1200 fuel cell system from Heliocentris Energy Solutions to provide emergency backup power for the IT system.

The uninterruptable power supply (UPS) features eight units connected to lithium-ion batteries and will replace a lead-battery based UPS that has proved insufficient for longer outages.

This operation is part of a field trial of the Nexa 1200 that is running to 2012 and is supported by the German government's National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Innovation Programme.

Tens of Thousands of Fuel Cell Cars in 2015: Take That, Dr. Chu (20/05/2011)

US energy secretary Steven Chu may be forced to eat his words, with fuel cell technology expected to feature in tens of thousands of Mercedes, Honda and Toyota vehicles over the next few years.

Dr Steven Chu famously branded fuel cells as a technology of tomorrow because they relied too heavily on "miracle" engineering and science developments.

He has proposed a 41 per cent cut to the 2012 hydrogen budget despite having similar funding reductions reversed by Congress in 2009.

Dr Chu now faces further criticism of his budget proposals, after Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation company chief executive Andreas Truckenbrodt predicted that as many as 100,000 cars featuring fuel cells could be produced per manufacturer


SolviCore Regeneracing unveils new generation fuel cell kart at Challenge Bibendum, Berlin (20/05/2011)

A new SolviCore Regeneracing Kart that uses a hydrogen fuel cell has been unveiled at the Challenge Bebendum in Berlin.

The new cart has been developed in collaboration with students at the Karel de Grote Hogeschool in Antwerp and Katholieke Hogeschool in Geel and will take part in a number of trial races to help developers tweak its final configurations.

The Kart is capable of a top speed of 140 km/h and can reach 100km/h in less than four seconds.
 

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