Energy Minister “Drives” London Taxi Fuel Cell System at Intelligent Energy
David Kidney MP gets hands-on during ministerial visit
Loughborough, United Kingdom
On the 9th October 2009, Intelligent Energy, the clean power systems company, played host to Energy minister, David Kidney MP, the Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The minister met with Intelligent Energy Chief Executive, Dr Henri Winand, to discuss the importance of greater investment in UK-based clean technology innovation.
During the visit to Intelligent Energy’s facilities in Loughborough, the minister was given a hands-on demonstration of the hydrogen fuel cell which will be installed into a fleet of zero emission London taxis by 2012; a programme part funded by the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board. The minister operated the fuel cell with a simple press of a button, instantly generating around 30 kilowatts of energy – enough to provide propulsion to the iconic London taxi.
“I was very pleased to visit Intelligent Energy, where I had the chance to see firsthand the exciting developments they’ve made in their drive towards the commercialisation of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and in particular the work they’re doing to introduce low carbon taxis in London by 2012,” explained the Energy minister. “It’s essential that we bring forward these innovative low carbon technologies to tackle the challenge of climate change. DECC’s new competition launched in September for up to £7.2 million of funding for hydrogen and fuel cell technology demonstration will fill a current gap in the innovation chain relating to scale-up and deployment of this low carbon technology. The competition is a clear measure of Government support for this innovation.”
The minister spoke at length with Dr Winand about Intelligent Energy’s joint venture with Scottish & Southern Energy to develop and commercialise combined heat and power systems, and the recently announced work with leading aircraft manufacturer, Airbus.
“We welcome visits such as these, as it affords us the opportunity to showcase the terrific progress we have made in recent years, allowing us to demonstrate how our fuel cells present near term commercial opportunities across multiple market sectors,” said Dr Winand. “Clean and highly efficient fuel cell systems have a major role to play in a changing and ultimately much more diverse energy landscape.”
The visit coincided with news that energy regulator, Ofgem, had identified the need for investment of up to £200 billion in power plant and other infrastructure over the next ten years to secure energy supplies and hit climate change targets.
About Intelligent Energy
Intelligent Energy is a clean power systems company, with a range of leading fuel cell and hydrogen generation technologies. The company is focused on the provision of cleaner power and low carbon technologies. Intelligent Energy partners with leading companies globally, in the transportation, oil and gas, aerospace, defence, distributed generation and portable power markets. Current partners and customers include Scottish & Southern Energy plc with whom the company has formed a joint venture to commercialise fuel cell combined heat and power (CHP) systems, and The Suzuki Motor Corporation. Intelligent Energy’s successes in recent years include the development of the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell motorbike and supplying the fuel cell system to Boeing which powered the world’s first manned fuel cell aircraft.
