Gaz de France has an interest in ‘distributed generation’, or energy generated close to the consumer, as demand for more efficient power and heating systems continues to grow.  Gaz de France is leading the EU-DEEP program, a €30M program to evaluate decentralised energy systems.  Gaz de France is also an active member of the EU Commission Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Program.  

De Dietrich Thermique is the largest provider of gas heating systems in the French market and has a portfolio of renewable and low carbon heating systems. Domestic CHP is a new strategic market for De Dietrich Thermique which has been assessing fuel cell and other generator technologies for several years. De Dietrich Thermique also has an extensive network of installers and will have trained nearly 10,000 French installation engineers at their in-house facilities over the last 12 months.

Under the terms of the agreement, CFCL, De Dietrich Thermique and Gaz de France will define the specifications and requirements for a CHP appliance for the French residential market.  De Dietrich Thermique will undertake the integration of the fuel cell into their condensing boiler platforms. 

CFCL, De Dietrich Thermique and Gaz de France will commence work on the project immediately.  

Gaz de France will then conduct a test programme of the prototype to demonstrate the unit’s efficiency, reliability and incorporation into the electricity grid.  The parties have agreed not to disclose other terms of the agreement.

About Gaz de France

Gaz de France is a major player in Europe's energy.  Gaz de France employs more than 53,000 people and in 2005 reported sales of 22.4 billion euros and a Group net income of 1.7 billion euros. The group boasts a portfolio of 13.8 million customers, 11.1 million of which are in France.   

www.gazdefrance.com  

About De Dietrich Thermique

De Dietrich Thermique (DDT) is one of the largest boiler manufacturers in Europe and is part of the Remeha Group BV. The group has revenues of some €540 million in 2005, employs 2500 people and sells products into 40 countries around the world. DDT also has 10 in-house training centres around Europe, which have been recently used to retrain installation engineers for the new condensing boiler technology. In-house expertise also includes a team of 100 engineers and scientists involved in the design and development of new control systems and products. 

www.dedietrich.com