FuelCellsWorks

Ground-breaking ‘green’ fuel-cell technology is being trialled in Sunderland with the help of transport experts from China.

Development agency One North East is backing ECO2Trans, a high-tech engineering solution that is spearheading advances in hydrogen propulsion systems.

Sunderland University’s Institute of Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice (AMAP), Shanghai’s Shen Li High Technology and VID Vehicles are collaborating on the project.

It has involved converting two electric Gulliver U500EUK buses into hydrogen vehicles using a fuel cell, battery and capacitor combination.

Hydrogen cells produce water as the only waste product, and are one of a range of ultra-low-carbon and zero-emission vehicles being developed in the North East.

Says AMAP researcher Dirk Kok: “Visitors from Shen Li have helped us to understand the fuel-cell operation, train us in its use and help mount it in the buses.

“These vehicles will act as a test bed to evaluate novel hydrogen technologies in vehicles, and will enhance the region’s status as an important automotive research-and-development centre.”

AVID Managing Director Ryan Maughan said: “This is cutting-edge technology that is helping develop the workforce of the future with the required skill set in low carbon vehicle technology.”

The project is intended to educate people, act as a catalyst for the development of the hydrogen infrastructure in the region and help to stimulate growth in the sector.

Said One North East’s Helen Armstrong: “This is another catalyst for the development of the power distribution and charging infrastructure for low-carbon vehicles in the region.”

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario– Hydrogenics Corporation (Nasdaq:HYGS) (TSX:HYG), a leading developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and fuel cell products, today announced that the Company has been awarded a contract for one of its HySTAT-30 electrolyzers to be used at a fueling station in Los Angeles, California. The fueling station will serve vehicles as part of California’s “Hydrogen Highway” initiative; Hydrogenics had previously supplied an electrolyzer-based hydrogen generation system to Shell Hydrogen LLC for a similar fueling station on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Los Angeles.

“California’s Hydrogen Highway network is meant to support the increasing number of zero emission vehicles that will be available over the coming years,” said Daryl Wilson, President and CEO. “A large, reliable fueling infrastructure is critical to the mass adoption of alternative energy vehicles, and Hydrogenics is well positioned for the requisite hydrogen generation. By 2017, the State of California estimates that 50 to 100 retail hydrogen stations will be necessary to meet the demand created by both automotive and bus deployments. Hydrogenics will continue to seek out opportunities for our unique technologies to assist in this rapid growth.”

For more information about the California Hydrogen Highway Network, please visit www.HydrogenHighway.ca.gov.

ABOUT HYDROGENICS

Hydrogenics Corporation (www.hydrogenics.com) is a globally recognized developer and provider of hydrogen generation and fuel cell products and services, serving the growing industrial and clean energy markets of today and tomorrow. Based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Hydrogenics has operations in North America and Europe.

Nemo, the world's first canal boat powered by hydrogen fuel cell, arrives in Amsterdam December 9, 2009. REUTERS/Paul Vreeker/United Photos

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Emitting only water vapour and gliding silently through Amsterdam’s centuries-old canals, a canal boat — a popular tourist attraction — powered by fuel cells made its debut cruise on Wednesday.

The “Nemo H2,” which can carry about 87 people, is the first of its kind designed specifically to run on a fuel cell engine, in which hydrogen and oxygen are mixed to create electricity and water, without producing air-polluting gases.

“That’s important in a city like Amsterdam with over 125 canal trips per day,” said project manager Alexander Overdiep.

A boat trip around Amsterdam’s concentric semi-circles of canals is a popular tourist pastime in the Dutch capital.

From spring, visitors will have the option of a ‘CO2 Zero Canal Cruise’, for an extra 50 (euro) cents, which will go toward further research into carbon-reducing technology, said Freek Vermeulen, managing director of Lovers boat company.

The new boat cost more than double to build than a canal boat running on a diesel engine, and needs to visit a hydrogen dispensing station for a refill once a day, while normal boats only need a fuel top-up once a week.

But developers of the 3 million euro project, which was partly government funded, said costs would decline as more boats followed this test phase, and if more advanced hydrogen distribution infrastructure emerged.

(Reporting by Catherine Hornby; editing by Ralph Boulton)

Acta recently showed off its fuel cell powered bike at the 2009 EICMA motor show in Milan.

How it works:

The hydrogen is recombined through a fuel cell with the oxygen present in the air: the result of this process is water vapour and electrical current, used to power the bike’s motor.

The hydrogen is stored in a small tank of metal hydride, a metallic powder that acts like a sponge: it absorbs up to 650 times its own volume of hydrogen and releases it at very low pressure. This system is absolutely safe.

With 600 litres of hydrogen (contained in a one litre metal hydride tank), it is possible to travel almost 100 km at the legal speed limit of 25 km/h.

The tank can be recharged at home in a few hours and with low energy consumption by connecting it quickly and easily to the hydrogen generator.

The brand new hydrogen generator for the home, produces hydrogen on demand from water, directly compressed and pure.

Low cost, safe and highly efficient, it is the ideal recharger for fuel cell applications such as electric bikes, power generators, and many other commercially available fuel cell products.

HYDROGEN PRODUCTION: 100 l/h
H₂ PRESSURE: 30 bar
H₂ PURITY: 99,98%
POWER CONSUMPTION: 500 W/h
WATER CONSUMPTION: 0.1 l/h

GENERATOR DIMENSIONS:
Width 25 cm
Height 40 cm
Depth 40 cm

The dream of a “hydrogen economy’’ isn’t dead yet.

A group of Northeastern University students showed the judges at a competition last week in Nashville how autos can make hydrogen under their hoods – thus eliminating the need to create a new nationwide network of hydrogen filling stations.

Students enrolled in InterEngineering 160, Introduction to Engineering, designed and built a greener Vespa. Photo: Bryce Richter

by Sandra Knisely

At first glance, a 50-cc Vespa scooter and a squad car may not appear to have much in common.

However, a class of University of Wisconsin-Madison freshman engineering students and officials from Beloit, Wis., are making progress toward technologies that eventually could run a variety of vehicles on nothing but water.

The class, with the help of UW-Madison civil and environmental engineering professor Marc Anderson and Beloit public works fleet manager Dan Lutz, has demonstrated a new hydrogen-assisted system that runs a Vespa on a hydrogen-gasoline fuel mix.

The students have been able to run the Vespa entirely on hydrogen both at idling and high-throttle speeds. Hydrogen also creates more complete engine combustion, meaning the scooter produces fewer emissions than factory Vespas.

Anderson’s freshman engineering class last spring developed a wet-cell system that ran water through a container called an electrolyzer, which contained fuel cells to split water via electrolysis into oxygen and hydrogen. The fuel cells, powered by the scooter’s alternator, funneled the hydrogen directly to the engine via a stainless steel tube.

This year, the class altered the system to be a dry-cell system. Unlike a wet-cell design, which submerges the electrical components in water, the dry-cell system keeps the electrical connections above water. This combined with Lutz’s unique designs have created an efficient system that powers the scooter with hydrogen and oxygen, which are produced on demand in the fuel cell.

“It’s exciting to be working with hydrogen-based technologies, and I really want to see this go further,” says Lutz. “We’ve got a long way to go, but by running a Vespa entirely on hydrogen, we’ve proved it can be done.”

The students plan to fine tune and improve the system, which Lutz hopes to implement in a variety of Beloit vehicles, including squad cars and city pick-up trucks.

Beloit public works has been testing hydrogen-based systems in city fleet vehicles since the spring of 2008. Lutz, who oversees the more than 300-vehicle fleet, has worked to meet the city’s sustainability goals by testing hydrogen-on-demand systems to save fuel and help the environment.

Through various public works and UW-Madison contacts, Lutz was put in touch with Anderson, who leads a section of InterEngineering 160, Introduction to Engineering, that teaches students how to design, build and implement hydrogen-based systems in a Vespa.

During the fall 2009 semester, Lutz traveled to Madison every Wednesday evening to help teach the students about hydrogen-based technologies. The students tested an improved fuel cell design and coated the fuel cell plating with a proprietary surface coating developed by Anderson that improves performance and efficiency. A U.S. patent on this coating is pending through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

Future classes may be able to run the scooter entirely on water by using the battery to start the electrolyzer. Anderson also anticipates students will work on a system that works with tap water. The current system uses distilled water with some sodium hydroxide added.

The partnership between UW-Madison and Beloit public works has been mutually beneficial. Lutz has been able to leverage university resources, including laboratories and faculty expertise, to advance hydrogen technologies and eventually enable suppliers to build systems for him to implement in the Beloit fleet vehicles.

The engineering students have substantially benefited from Lutz’s presence on campus. “Dan and his colleagues have been teaching the students many, many things about a variety of practical engineering skills,” says Anderson.

The students have taken full advantage of their opportunity to learn from Anderson and Lutz. “We canceled class the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and several students still came into the lab because they didn’t want to miss a week,” says Lutz.

Toshiba Corp released the “Dynario,” its fuel cell battery for use in mobile devices, at the end of October 2009 with a limited release of 3,000 units. The company has been silent on the battery since its president announced that it would release the Dynario until the end of fiscal 2008 but finally realized the commercialization of the battery.

Toshiba’s “Dynario” fuel cell battery

When we broke down the fuel cell battery, we were surprised by the large number of components. It is equipped with many circuit components other then fuel cells such as ultra-small pump, valve, microcomputer, controller IC chip and controller board. We were also surprised by the sturdy chassis of the battery, which is made with metal plates and strong reinforcement materials.

The Dynario has two power generating units, a cylindrical lithium-ion battery and two controller boards equipped with a power supply switch and an input-output terminal. The power generating unit is made by sandwiching generating cells between a lattice-shaped stainless steel plate and a resin chassis that works as a fuel feed plate and fixing them with rivets and caulking. Therefore, the cells cannot be taken out without breaking the unit.

The power generating unit is equipped with a fuel valve, a fuel pump and two controller IC chips for controlling them. The controller boards mounted with the power supply and the input-output terminal are used to control power from the power generating units and boot up the power generating units by using the lithium-ion battery.

The Dynario has two power generating units.

The power generating cell has a very simple structure, and I felt that Toshiba made tremendous efforts to develop the fuel cell battery purchasable by general consumers.

After manufacturing 3,000 units of the battery, the company will release a new model. Therefore, a fuel cell engineer of another company guessed that Toshiba used an experimental board this time.

The simply structured power generating cell

Considering Toshiba’s efforts, I think the price of the Dynario, ¥29,800 (approx US$336), is very low. However, the battery can be smaller and lighter if the numbers of its fuel pumps and fuel valves are reduced to one and controller IC chips are integrated. In any case, I was impressed by the fact that the company made good on its promise to release the battery.

FREMONT, Calif.–Oorja Protonics, the leader in ultra-powerful liquid methanol fuel cell technology, secured an additional purchase order in less than six months from Super Store Industries (SSI). The additional orders underscore the significant cost-savings and productivity increases realized by SSI after deploying Oorja’s OorjaPac™ Model H earlier this year. SSI is the first commercial entity in the grocery distribution market to deploy methanol fuel cells for its material handling vehicles.

These field-tested methanol fuel cells have successfully addressed challenging conditions, such as the freezer environment, faced by the material handling vehicles used at SSI’s Lathrop, CA facility. Since its initial installation, OorjaPac has substantially reduced the vehicle and labor downtime due to vehicle battery pack charging and swapping, and SSI has placed subsequent orders for additional units, converting a significant portion of its material handling vehicles.

Earlier this year, SSI began to commercially deploy Oorja’s methanol fuel cells for the material handling fleet operating in its facility’s freezer to increase efficiency. A breakthrough on-board charging system for forklifts, pallet loaders and other material handling vehicles, OorjaPac allows SSI to charge batteries during times of operation and idling conditions. This results in optimized operational productivity and increased runtime for batteries on a single charge, ultimately minimizing the need to purchase multiple batteries per vehicle and eliminate multiple battery swaps throughout a full day of operation.

“The cost and productivity savings that we have gained have been so significant that we have already converted a large number of our material handling vehicles, even in this economy,” said Tom Hughes of SSI. “As OorjaPac takes less than one minute to refuel and supplies enough power for an entire shift, this greatly impacts our 24/7, 365-day operation.”

“OorjaPac immediately increases productivity and reduces the downtime associated with battery changing,” said Sanjiv Malhotra, Founder and CEO of Oorja Protonics. “Addressing the most daunting challenge being faced by the fuel cell industry, namely the ‘hydrogen problem,’ Oorja is leading the commercialization of fuel cells by using inexpensive, abundant and easy-to-handle methanol instead of volatile and expensive hydrogen for material handling operations.”

Additional information on Oorja Protonics and the OorjaPac can be found at www.oorjaprotonics.com.

About Oorja Protonics

Oorja Protonics designs, develops and manufacturers the most powerful direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) in the world. In development for three years and on its fifth generation of technology, Oorja’s products are customer proven, reliable, affordable and available today. Oorja’s customers include Fortune 50 companies in retail, automotive, logistics, and food processing. Founded in 2005, Oorja is a privately-held company and is backed by venture capital firms Sequoia Capital, Spring Ventures, McKenna Management and DAG Ventures. For more information, visit www.oorjaprotonics.com.

Combined Heat and Power Efficiency and Near-Zero Emissions Meet City of Tulare’s Need for Cost Savings and Clean Power

DANBURY, Conn. — FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of high efficiency ultra-clean power plants using renewable and other fuels for commercial, industrial, government, and utility customers, today announced the sale of a fourth DFC300 fuel cell unit to the City of Tulare, Calif. to expand the municipality’s existing fuel cell power plant to 1.0 megawatt (MW) and increase the amount of green electricity produced at the regional wastewater treatment facility.

With this expansion of its on-site Direct FuelCell(R) (DFC(R)) power plant, Tulare will generate more than 40 percent of the electricity needed to run its water treatment operation. The City of Tulare wastewater treatment facility serves a population of 58,000, processing 12.5 million gallons per day of sewage from domestic households and commercial sources of water discharge, including waste from the region’s seven large dairy-processing enterprises.

The San Joaquin Valley region has a myriad of challenges to improving local air quality because the City of Tulare is growing at more than double the rate of California’s state-wide average. Fuel cells help address air quality concerns because they do not burn fuel, instead processing it electro-chemically to transform it into electricity, with near-zero emissions of NOX, SOX and particulate matter.

Additionally, heat is created in the process, which the system captures and applies to Tulare’s wastewater treatment process. This combined heat and power system can deliver an overall efficiency of up to 90 percent, which results in low CO2 emissions and reduces the wastewater plant’s overall electricity costs.

“The combined heat and power capability of FuelCell Energy’s power plant has been ideal for us,” said Lew Nelson, Tulare’s Director of Public Works. “The fuel cells generate clean electricity and heat that we use in our anaerobic digester, making this system the most efficient and cost-effective for our needs.”

Because these DFC power plants operate on methane, a renewable byproduct of wastewater processing, they eliminate the air pollution that normally would result from releasing the biogas to the atmosphere or flaring it.

“Tulare’s wastewater facility is a perfect application for our products,” said R. Daniel Brdar, Chairman and CEO of FuelCell Energy. “Wastewater facilities produce methane — a gas that is over 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. Instead of releasing the methane to the atmosphere or flaring it, wastewater facilities use that gas in our power plants to cleanly and economically produce electricity and heat.”

Tulare’s success in applying this approach to wastewater treatment was honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with its Clean Air Excellence Award earlier this year. Under the EPA’s Green Power Partnership program, Tulare was named to the Top 20 List of the agency’s “partners generating and consuming the most green power on-site.”

About FuelCell Energy

FuelCell Energy is the world leader in the development and production of stationary fuel cells for commercial, industrial, municipal and utility customers. FuelCell Energy’s ultra-clean and high efficiency DFC(R) fuel cells are generating power at over 55 locations worldwide. The company’s power plants have generated over 400 million kWh of power using a variety of fuels including renewable wastewater gas, biogas from beer and food processing, as well as natural gas and other hydrocarbon fuels. FuelCell Energy has partnerships with major power plant developers and power companies around the world. The company also receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and other government agencies for the development of leading edge technologies such as fuel cells. For more information please visit our website at www.fuelcellenergy.com

Brunnthal/Munich, Germany–A boat equipped with the most powerful EFOY 2200 fuel cell model wins 2nd place of this year’s solo transatlantic yacht race Transat 6,50. The race, in which 85 sailboats up to a length of 6.5 m participated, crossed the Atlantic ocean over a distance of 4,200 nm (7,800 km) in two legs: from Charente Maritime, France, to Madeira, Portugal, and then on from Madeira to Salvador de Bahia, Brasil.

Runner-up at the race was Charlie Dalin on his boat Pogo 2. He completed the second leg of the race as the first participant with a time of 20 days, 6 hours, 36 minutes. His cumulative time which led to 2nd place overall is 27 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes and 10 seconds. Over the complete time of the race the EFOY 2200 fuel cell provided reliable, no-maintenance power to the electrical and electronic devices on board of Pogo 2, keeping Charlie’s hands free for the task of winning second place at the race.

“The EFOY 2200 fuel cell worked perfectly and always under load from the day of installation until today,” said Charlie Dalin. “While other participants of the race lost valuable time due to power failure and their electronics not working I always had trouble free power for my GPS and other devices. I consider this a decisive competitive advantage that definitely helped me being winner of the 2nd place at this important race.” In the 2009 Transat 6,50 around 30 further participants have been using other fuel cells manufactured by SFC Smart Fuel Cell.

EFOY fuel cells are produced by SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG, leading supplier of fuel cell products for mobile and off-grid power applications. The fuel cell series, consisting of five models with a charging capacity of 600 to 2,200 watt hours each per day, depending on the boat’s individual power requirements, is an environmentally friendly, lightweight, and silent power solution for boats and yachts that ensures 24/7 on board power availability in any season and weather.

“We are excited that a yacht equipped with our EFOY 2200 fuel cell is among the winners of this important race,” says Dr. Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG. “The demanding circumstances in which our EFOY 2200 has performed impeccably prove that there finally is a reliable power solution for sailboats. EFOY is a silent, lightweight, emission-free alternative to wind and water generators which often are not reliable and efficient enough, to solar panels which are often in the way and may generate too little power even in sunlight when the sail’s shadow is on them. And to generators which are just too loud, heavy and big for smaller yachts“.

The EFOY fuel cell is directly connected to the board battery and can be installed basically at any convenient place on board with exception of the engine compart-ment. In operation the fuel cell continuously monitors the battery’s state of charge. Once this drops below a predefined level due to power consumption of GPS, lights, navigation, fridge or radio, the EFOY automatically starts operation and recharges the battery. When the battery is full, the fuel cell just as automatically returns into stand-by. The boat owner doesn’t have to do a thing and can still fully enjoy the comforts of the boat without limitations. 230 V devices can be operated by using an inverter.

Fuel for the EFOY is available at over 1,400 sales points across Europe in convenient 5 and 10 liter cartridges. An EFOY M10 cartridge with 10 liter fuel contains 11.1 kilo watt hours of power. That is enough power to independently operate the boat’s electrical consumers for up to 14 days. The convenient cartridges enable boat owners to take along a lot of energy at very low weight on their boat. As long as there are full cartridges, the boat is fully independent of any external power supply. The EFOY fuel cell will also operate in hybrid mode with a solar cell. In this combination it only switches on when the solar cell does not produce enough power. By-products of power generation in the EFOY fuel cell are just water steam and carbon dioxide in amounts equivalent to the breath of a child.

Visitors of Salon Nautique de Paris, France, can experience the EFOY fuel cell live in operation at the booth of Navimo, hall 2.1, B 81, December 5 to 13, 2009.

Visit www.sfc.com and www.efoy.com for more information.

About SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG
SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG (www.sfc.com) is market leader in fuel cell technologies for mobile and off-grid power applications serving the leisure, industrial and defense markets. As one of Germany’s technology pioneers, SFC has won numerous innovation awards. SFC has alliances with leading companies in a wide range of industries. Unlike most other fuel cell manufacturers, who are in the research and development phase or run subsidized demonstration projects, SFC has shipped more than 15,000 fully commercial products to industrial and private end users for more than five years, and has created a convenient fuel cartridge supply infrastructure. SFC is DIN ISO 9001:2008 certified. SFC is based in Brunnthal, Germany, and has a sales and technical service office in the U.S.

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada – Hydrogenics Corporation, a leading developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and fuel cell products, today announced that it has delivered another fuel-cell powered Midibus based on the Tecnobus S.p.A electric bus platform for operation at a hospital complex in Hamburg, Germany. This vehicle, the eleventh such Midibus in operation, is owned by Klinik Logistic Eppendorf GmbH, a division of University Klinik Eppendorf. The purchase was coordinated through HySolutions GmbH, a company that promotes the use of fuel cells and hydrogen, and sponsored by the City-State of Hamburg. The project also received support via the National Innovation Program (NIP) of hydrogen and fuel cell technology from the Nationale Organisation Wasserstoff (NOW) and the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development.

“The Hydrogenics Midibus continues to gain traction across the continent as local governments come to view it as an appropriate solution for urban, emission-sensitive environments,” said Daryl Wilson, President and CEO. “With eleven such buses now delivered and in use, Hydrogenics has validated its unique fuel cell applications and energy-efficient mobility design with a high degree of reliability, paving the way for future awards. Europe clearly plays a large role in clean transportation solutions, and we are well positioned for further growth there.”

ABOUT HYDROGENICS

Hydrogenics Corporation (www.hydrogenics.com) is a globally recognized developer and provider of hydrogen generation and fuel cell products and services, serving the growing industrial and clean energy markets of today and tomorrow. Based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Hydrogenics has operations in North America and Europe.

Pictured above: Dr Henri Winand, Intelligent Energy Chief Executive is presented with £800,000 by Bryan Jackson, Chairman of emda

Moves UK operations to larger premises with grant from the East Midlands Development Agency

Loughborough–Intelligent Energy, the clean power systems company, today announced it has received an £800,000 Grant for Business Investment (GBI) from East Midlands Development Agency (emda), assisting the company in moving from its current premises at the Innovation Centre on Loughborough University campus, to larger premises at Holywell Park, near its current location.

The grant from emda will help Intelligent Energy equip the new facilities with engineering test rigs, measurement equipment and IT systems. Intelligent Energy Chief Executive, Dr. Henri Winand said of the grant, “Intelligent Energy has reached a very exciting stage in its growth.  The move to Holywell Park will allow us to better serve our Blue Chip business customers and partners and up the tempo of our commercial activities significantly as a result.”

2009 has been a year of tremendous progress for Intelligent Energy, with the company continuing to work at the forefront of clean power system commercialisation. The past year has seen Intelligent Energy demonstrate continued success working in partnership with leading companies such as Suzuki Motor Corporation and Scottish & Southern Energy, whilst attracting new customers, such as Airbus.

Amidst the difficult economic circumstances faced by many in 2009, Intelligent Energy raised £18.4 million in a private ‘up round’ of growth capital fundraising in July. The company also announced the appointment of a new Executive Vice President for Emerging Markets as part of its expansion plans.

“We have been very pleased with the growth, commercial progress and technological achievements made by Intelligent Energy in 2009.  This grant from emda is a great endorsement of the company from our own regional development agency,” explained Dr. Winand. “Intelligent Energy is an international business actively working with some of the world’s leading companies to bring its clean power systems to market.  The business started up as a spin-out from Loughborough University and with the help of emda, we are delighted to strengthen our bond with Leicestershire.”

Bryan Jackson, Chairman of emda said: “I am delighted that Intelligent Energy is expanding its operations in the East Midlands. It is an international business working at the leading edge of clean technologies in fast growing energy sectors which we are keen to support. I am pleased that through the GBI we have been able to facilitate the move to Holywell Park to provide them with the space and facilities that they need to develop and grow, creating new jobs in the region and further enhancing the reputation of the East Midlands as a leader in energy technologies.”

AFC Energy (AIM: AFC) has entered into a binding heads of agreement with Linc Energy (ASX: LNC) to integrate the AFC Fuel Cell System for use in Linc Energy’s Underground Coal Gasification projects, to tap into what AFC called a “rapidly emerging” and the largest potential market for power generation from underground coal.

AFC’s Alpha fuel cell system will be installed at Linc’s operating UCG plant in Chinchilla, Australia for demonstration and later install the larger 50 kW (kilowatt) AFC fuel cell system following the development of Alpha. The fuel cell systems will use synthetic hydrogen produced at UCG as their feed source.

Multiple installations of AFC’s 50 kW system for full scale commercialisation are anticipated.

According to the terms of the agreement, Linc will get worldwide exclusive rights to utilise and operate AFC fuel cells in conjunction with any UCG application for a period of 24 months and purchase the first fuel cell system for £200,000 with delivery anticipated in the next five months. Linc also has the option to extend the period of exclusivity for another 24 months by investing £2.3 million in AFC Energy.

AFC will be entitled to an upfront payment calculated on the cost of delivery of fuel cell systems and a royalty based on profits from the use of its fuel cells.

Linc said that the project capital expenditure for power stations using AFC Energy’s low cost fuel cell system is forecast to be less than that of conventional coal/IGCC (integrated gasification combined cycle) power stations.
“Whilst our primary focus remains firmly on the chlor-alkali market, we now have access through B9 Coal to the rapidly emerging market for power generation from underground coal. This opportunity is by far the largest potential market for AFC Energy that we identified and is operational practically anywhere in the world where there are deep coal deposits. The implementation of this programme can create a ‘Holy Grail’ for future coal utilisation with low-cost, highly efficient conversion of coal into power and through the process of CCS it can turn the dirtiest fossil fuel into the cleanest,” said Chief Executive of AFC Ian Balchin.

As the introducer and broker of the transaction, B9 will receive 2% of the net profits from the use of AFC fuel cells.
Shares in AFC rose 7% on the news this morning.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently celebrated the opening of a hydrogen fueling station at its National Wind Technology Center.   The new station enhances NREL’s capabilities for testing and validating fuel cell vehicles in Colorado’s unique environment.

“The hydrogen fueling station at the wind site will allow us to perform high-altitude and cold-weather testing of fuel cell vehicles,” NREL’s Keith Wipke said.  “We are now in negotiations with several automakers to bring their prototype fuel cell vehicles to NREL.”

A fuel cell vehicle on loan from Daimler was the first car to fill up at the station this fall.  The vehicle was at the lab as part of NREL’s extensive technology validation effort, which includes six years of working with automotive companies and their fuel providers to evaluate the on-road performance of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and the necessary fueling infrastructure.

The hydrogen dispensed at the station is produced via renewable electrolysis thanks to the wind-to-hydrogen (Wind2H2) demonstration project.  A partnership between NREL and Xcel Energy, the Wind2H2 project integrates wind turbines and photovoltaic arrays to hydrogen-producing electrolyzer stacks.

“NREL’s approach of close-coupling the wind and photovoltaic electricity sources produces some of the greenest hydrogen on the planet,” NREL’s Kevin Harrison said.

While the station isn’t currently open to the public, an agreement now in development may provide access to non-NREL users.

Visit the Hydrogen Fueling Station Locations section of the Alternative & Advanced Fuels Data Center to find hydrogen fueling stations across the United States.

PSA Peugeot Citroën will present a demonstrator equipped with rechargeable fuel cell technology for hybrids at the “Toute la lumière sur l’hydrogène énergie” show in Lyon, France, from December 7 to 11. The event is designed to showcase hydrogen as a fuel source.

This fully electric vehicle, based on a Peugeot 307 coupe cabriolet, features the latest advances in fuel cell, battery and hydrogen storage technology.

Thanks to its hydrogen fuel cell range extender, the EV demonstrator has a driving range of 500 kilometres, close to that offered by a current-model vehicle with an internal combustion engine.

The FiSyPAC fuel cell reliability project initiated in 2006 primarily focused on designing high performance, high efficiency components. Significant advances were made through collaboration with French research laboratories, such as the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) for the fuel cell stack, and manufacturer partners, such as JCS for the lithium-ion batteries.

As a result, the Peugeot 307 CC FiSyPAC demonstrator ranks among the world’s top performers, needing less than one kilogramme of hydrogen per 100 kilometres. PSA Peugeot Citroën has also successfully quadrupled the fuel cell’s lifespan and increased its efficiency by nearly 20% since 2006.

Although considerable, these advances still run up against a number of roadblocks, including the cost of the fuel cell system and the lithium ion batteries, the fuel cell’s lifespan and the deployment of the necessary infrastructure to market hydrogen to the general public.

Given this situation, process engineering and mass marketing would seem foreseeable as from 2020-2025.

This fundamental research work on fuel cells for hybrids is helping PSA Peugeot Citroën advance in hydrogen technology and increase its understanding of alternative powertrains, including hybrid, rechargeable hybrid and electric configurations.

This knowledge will be applied to various projects currently being developed at PSA Peugeot Citroën, chief among them the Peugeot Ion and Citroën C-Zero EVs to be introduced in late 2010, the Peugeot 3008 and Citroën DS5 diesel hybrids scheduled for roll-out in 2011 and the rechargeable diesel hybrid slated for 2012.

In an effort to reduce carbon emissions, airport staff is testing hydrogen powered bicycles to replace cars to get around the airport facility.

[Yuko Tsubone, Airport Employee]:
“Because (the airport) is really large, it makes it easier to get around. I also think it’s really nice since you can pedal without having to put in a lot of effort, and so you don’t get tired.”

The bicycle uses a hydrogen fuel cell to charge the onboard battery, similar to that used in an electric assisted bicycle. The system allows users to quickly fill up on hydrogen instead of waiting for a battery to charge.

The fuel cell generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction. Hydrogen is broken down and then combined with oxygen converting chemical energy into electrical energy.

[Yusuke Nagai, Hydrogen Energy Dept., Iwatani Corp.]:
“The bicycle has a hydrogen cartridge and fuel cell inside. The hydrogen is sent to the fuel cell, and the electricity that is produced is then used to provide the power to assist pedaling.”

The main benefit of using hydrogen as the energy source for the bicycles is that it is 100 percent environmentally friendly. The only waste product is water which emits only steam rather than carbon dioxide.

http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_life/2009-12-04/079224375267.html

Fuel Cell Today (FCT), the leading market intelligence provider to the fuel cell industry, is to launch its 2010 Industry Review publication, entitled Fuel Cells: Sustainability, at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi. FCT’s Analysts will launch and present key findings from the Review on 19th January 2010 at WFES’s expert showcase seminar.

As well as benchmarking the state of the fuel cell industry at the start of 2010, Fuel Cells: Sustainability analyses two key aspects of environmental and economic sustainability; emissions reduction and job creation potential. The Review launch at WFES represents a timely opportunity for businesses and policymakers alike to find out more about fuel cells’ contribution to pollutant reduction and economic stimulus.

Fuel Cells: Sustainability presents how fuel cells may contribute to CO2 and regulated pollutant emissions reduction across a number of sectors including energy supply, industry, and transportation, providing ten year CO2 footprint forecasts for fuel cells in various applications worldwide.

The Review also explores economic sustainability and the role of fuel cells as a major contributor to economic wellbeing. In a continuingly uncertain economic climate, fuel cells may offer a stimulus to the economies of various countries, and the potential for significant job creation. The FCT Analysts present 10-year forecasts of job creation potential worldwide across the fuel cell supply chain, principally in fuel cell manufacturing, but also in installation and maintenance.

In addition, the Review presents the state of the industry at the start of 2010, quantifying unit shipments and industry developments in 2009 and providing 5-year shipment projections. Despite recession and economic slowdown, the progress of the fuel cell industry towards commercialisation has continued with manufacturing capacity and the supply chain both expanding. Widespread government and private funding continue to be available with significant positive impact on shipments.

FCT welcomes WFES attendees to its 2010 Review launch, which will be held at 11.20am on Tuesday 19th January, as part of the ‘Expert Showcase’ series of seminars. For more information, please contact review@fuelcelltoday.com To pre-order your copy of the Review, please see:

http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/events/industry-review

Note a 10% early bird discount on the GBP500 cover price applies for orders received before 31/12/2009

KNOXVILLE — In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles.

New findings from a team of researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, however, show that photosynthesis — the process by which plants regenerate using energy from the sun — may function as that clean, sustainable source of hydrogen.

The team, led by Barry Bruce, a professor of biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology at UT Knoxville, found that the inner machinery of photosynthesis can be isolated from certain algae and, when coupled with a platinum catalyst, is able to produce a steady supply of hydrogen when exposed to light.

The findings are outlined in this week’s issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Bruce, who serves as the associate director for UT Knoxville’s Sustainable Energy and Education Research Center, notes that we already get most of our energy from photosynthesis, albeit indirectly.

The fossil fuels of today were once, millions of years ago, energy-rich plant matter whose growth also was supported by the sun via the process of photosynthesis. There have been efforts to shorten this process, namely through the creation of biomass fuels that harvest plants and covert their hydrocarbons into ethanol or biodiesel.

“Biofuel as many people think of it now — harvesting plants and converting their woody material into sugars which get distilled into combustible liquids — probably cannot replace gasoline as a major source of fuel,” said Bruce. “We found that our process is more direct and has the potential to create a much larger quantity of fuel using much less energy, which has a wide range of benefits.”

A major benefit of Bruce’s method is that it cuts out two key middlemen in the process of using plants’ solar conversion abilities. The first middle man is the time required for a plant to capture solar energy, grow and reproduce, then die and eventually become fossil fuel. The second middle man is energy, in this case the substantial amount of energy required to cultivate, harvest and process plant material into biofuel. Bypassing these two options and directly using the plant or algae’s built-in solar system to create clean fuel can be a major step forward.

Other scientists have studied the possibility of using photosynthesis as a hydrogen source, but have not yet found a way to make the reaction occur efficiently at the high temperatures that would exist in a large system designed to harness sunlight.

An image of the process used to create hydrogen using the photosynthesis system in blue-green algae.

Bruce and his colleagues found that by starting with a thermophilic blue-green algae, which favors warmer temperatures, they could sustain the reaction at temperatures as high as 55 degrees C, or 131 degrees F. That is roughly the temperature in arid deserts with high solar irradiation, where the process would be most productive. They also found the process was more than 10 times more efficient as the temperature increased.

“As both a dean and a chemist, I am very impressed with this recent work by Professor Bruce and his colleagues,” said Bruce Bursten, dean of UT Knoxville’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Hydrogen has the potential to be the cleanest fuel alternative to petroleum, with no greenhouse gas production, and we need new innovations that allow for hydrogen to be readily produced from non-hydrocarbon sources. Professor Bruce and his team have provided a superb example of how excellence in basic research can contribute significantly to technological and societal advances.”

Co-authors on the paper along with Bruce include Infeyinwa Iwuchukwu, a UT Knoxville graduate student in chemical and biomolecular engineering; Michael Vaughn, a research technician; Natalie Myers, a UT Knoxville graduate student in microbiology; Hugh O’Neill, a UT Knoxville-ORNL research professor and Paul Frymier, a UT Knoxville professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

A company is Austria is pioneering the use of fuel cells in motorboats – see video of the exclusive seatrial

Kwang Kim, a professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering, is at the forefront of research that could make robots run much more like they seem in movies and on television. Photo by Jean Dixon.

By John Trent

Kwang Kim, a professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering, is at the forefront of research that could make robots run much more like they seem in movies and on television. That is, with very little noise.

Kim’s work with the building of artificial muscles that run on hydrogen, instead of much louder compressed-air pumps or electric motors, was featured recently in a news article in New Scientist.

The article notes that Kim “came up with the idea after realizing that hydrogen can be supplied silently by metal hydride compounds.  Metal hydrides can undergo a process called reversible chemisorption, allowing them to store and release extra hydrogen held by weak chemical bonds. It’s this property that has led to the motor industry investigating metal hydrides as hydrogen ‘tanks’ for fuel cells.”

The article adds that Kim, and colleague Alexandra Vanderhoff first compressed “a copper and nickel-based hydride power into peanut-sized pellets. They then secured them in a reactor vessel and pumped in hydrogen to ‘charge’ the pellets with the gas. A heater coil surrounded the vessel, as heat breaks the weak chemical bonds and releases the stored hydrogen.” The vessel is then connected to artificial muscle, made of inflatable rubber tube and Kevlar. When two of these are placed on the sides of a robotic joint, the movement of muscles can be imitated by either inflation or deflation.

Kim says the muscle performs just as efficiently as those that run on compressed air.

“The system has biological muscle-like properties for humanoid robots that need high power, large limb strokes – and no noise,” Kim says.

HARTFORD, Conn.—Today, the Connecticut Science Center, located in downtown Hartford, became the first science center or museum in the country to generate the majority of its energy needs on-site with a fuel cell.* The UTC Power fuel cell technology — developed in Connecticut — will generate almost 100% of the electricity demanded by the Science Center on an annual basis. During operating hours, the fuel cell provides approximately two-thirds of the needed power for the downtown Hartford destination. When the Science Center’s power demand is less, the 200-kilowatt fuel cell transfers energy back into the power grid system. The cumulative effect will result in almost 100% of the energy used being created by the clean, environmentally-friendly energy source. As an added benefit, the fuel cell will provide back-up power. The fuel cell is wrapped in educational graphics which help to explain the technologies used, thus becoming one of the over 150 exhibits, including an entire exhibit gallery (Energy City) dedicated to emerging energies, at the Science Center.

The historical commissioning ceremony was highlighted by Congressman John B. Larson, a long-time proponent of fuel cell technologies, along with Connecticut Clean Energy Fund President Lise Dondy and others. The ceremony marked the culmination of a two-month installation period that began when the fuel cell, manufactured by Connecticut-based UTC Power, was delivered to the Science Center on October 1, 2009.

“I congratulate the Connecticut Science Center, UTC Power, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, and all of the partners that made this historic day possible. Fuel cells are a proven technology vital to our state and nation’s efforts to invest in American made clean energy technologies and reduce our reliance on foreign oil,” said Congressman John B. Larson. “This is a smart investment that will have vast economic and environmental benefits for the region.”

During Larson’s tenure in Congress, he has secured federal funding for CT Transit’s zero-emission Fuel Cell-Hybrid bus, the first of its kind in the East Coast, as well as introduced the Energy Independence Act and the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Authorization Act to fund and promote fuel cells as a means to end U.S. dependence on foreign oil, grow the economy and improve our environment.

Fuel cells are among the cleanest energy-generation sources available in the world today and meet the strictest U.S. emissions standards. Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen in an electrochemical process to produce electricity, heat and water. A hydrogen-rich fuel is derived from natural gas in a non-combustion process called reforming.

“Having a fuel cell at the Connecticut Science Center affords a wonderful opportunity to educate the public and especially the visiting students on the merits of clean, made-in-Connecticut technology,” said J. Michael McQuade, UTC Senior Vice President, Science and Technology. “United Technologies is extremely proud of its role in helping to make the Science Center a reality so future generations of scientists and engineers can be inspired to create the next advancements in technology.”

Connecticut Science Center’s Commitment to being ‘GREEN’

By generating clean power on site and then recovering the heat from the electrochemical reaction, the Connecticut Science Center is able to reduce the burden on the New England power grid and its impact on the environment by preventing the release of more than 270 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually. The environmental benefit is equivalent to planting 63 acres of forest to mitigate an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide. For more information, go to CTScienceCenter.org/energy.

Using a fuel cell for clean energy is only one of numerous initiatives of the new Connecticut Science Center in its commitment to minimizing its carbon footprint. The Science Center is anticipating a Gold Level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The USGBC is the premier “Green Building” agency created in 1993 to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.

“A commitment to the environment and minimizing our carbon footprint is essential for the Connecticut Science Center,” states Matt Fleury, President and CEO of the Science Center. Fleury continues, “Just as important, our educational exhibits and programs show you how their promising new technologies work, and how science plays a part in helping us solve energy and other issues.” Additional environmentally friendly “green” initiatives taken by the Science Center include light sensors which detect natural lighting and adjust interior lighting to save energy; a rooftop garden and over 95% of the steel used to build the Science Center being made from recycled automobiles!

Not only is Connecticut one of the driving forces behind clean energy, but the technologies used to create power from a fuel cell were first developed in the Nutmeg state. Established in 2000, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) has already funded more than $100 million in clean energy projects. CCEF made a grant in the amount of $613,000 to support the Science Center fuel cell. Having hydrogen-powered, distributed energy is critical to Connecticut’s future, according to the Clean Energy Fund.

“We are delighted to have helped make this fuel cell installation possible,” said Lise Dondy, president of CCEF. “This installation, in concert with the fuel cell exhibit in the Energy City gallery, demonstrates that the science center is practicing what it preaches – that we should embrace emerging, clean energy technologies, as they are vital and beneficial to mankind and the environment.”

About the Connecticut Science Center

The Connecticut Science Center, located in downtown Hartford, sparks creative imagination and an appreciation for science by immersing visitors in fun and educational hands-on, minds-on interactive experiences. Visitors experience over 150 exhibits in ten galleries and a range of topics, including space and earth sciences, physical sciences, biology, the Connecticut River watershed, Connecticut inventors and innovations, a children’s gallery, and much more. Other features include four educational labs, a 200-seat 3D digital cinema, function room, gift store and cafe, and ongoing events and lectures for all ages. The Science Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing science education throughout the state of Connecticut and New England, providing learning opportunities for students and adults of all ages, and engaging the community in scientific exploration. More information: www.CTScienceCenter.org or 860.SCIENCE.

About UTC Power:

UTC Power is part of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), which provides energy-efficient products and services to the aerospace and building industries. UTC is a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index each year since it was launched in 1999. Based in South Windsor, Conn., UTC Power is the world leader in developing and producing fuel cells that generate energy for buildings and for transportation, space and defense applications.

About the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF):

CCEF was created by the Connecticut General Assembly and is funded by the electric ratepayers. CCEF’s mission is to promote, develop and invest in clean energy sources for the benefit of Connecticut’s ratepayers in order to strengthen Connecticut’s economy, protect community health, improve the environment, and promote a secure energy supply for the state. CCEF is administered by Connecticut Innovations, a quasi-public authority. For more information on CCEF, please visit www.ctcleanenergy.com.

About the Connecticut Energy Foundation:

The Connecticut Energy Foundation is administered by the CT Natural Gas company, and supports energy-related projects in Connecticut. They provided $100,000 toward the cost of the fuel cell.

*Source: Fuel Cells 2000, a nonprofit, educational organization based in Washington, D.C., with a database of fuel cell installations worldwide.

As reported on Bimmerpost homepage.

Is BMW possibly testing a hydrogen hybrid 1-series?

If so, it’s good to see that despite BMW’s recent introduction of its gasoline hybrid technology (as seen on the 7-series and X6 ActiveHybrids), the company continues to explore future efficient technologies.

According to the spy shooter, these shots were taken at a hydrogen fueling station and those hoses exiting the 1 Series hatchback’s fuel filler door to indeed appear to lead to that large gas canister on the ground. We don’t have any other information on the car and none of this can be verified, but it’s got our interest piqued.

AFC Energy plc (AIM: AFC), the developer of low cost alkaline fuel cells that generates clean electricity from by-product hydrogen, is pleased to announce it has raised net proceeds of £2 million by way of a placing of new ordinary shares to UK investors. The Company intends that the net proceeds of the Placing will be used to complete the development of its low cost fuel cell system.

Placing Highlights

• £2m net proceeds (£2.15m gross) 21,500,000 million new ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each are to be issued in connection with the placing, representing 14.4% of the enlarged issued share capital

• The new ordinary shares will be issued at a price of 10 pence per share, representing a discount of 13% to the closing price on AIM on 3 December 2009

• The proceeds from the placing will be used to provide operating capital for the development to commercialisation of AFC Energy’s fuel cell systems

• Six of the Company’s directors have participated in the placing, including all four executive directors

• Application will be made to the London Stock Exchange for the new shares to be admitted to trading on AIM. It is expected that admission will become effective and that dealing will commence on 10 December 2009

• When issued, the new ordinary shares will rank equally with the Company’s existing ordinary shares

Ian Balchin, Chief Executive, AFC Energy plc:

“We are delighted both to receive a combination of support from existing shareholders and to welcome new shareholders who recognise the enormous opportunity of AFC Energy’s fuel cell system.

The placing when combined with projected sales, licensing, grant income and other commercial opportunities provides AFC Energy with the additional working capital it needs to take its low cost fuel cell systems through to commercialisation and introduce this energy generating capability to the huge market opportunity that exists.

Our current rapid rate of progress is a reflection of the highly focused and skilled team of staff, suppliers and prospective customers that we have in place and we anticipate no need for any substantial increases in personnel.

We have a clearly laid out development programme in place during which we periodically freeze designs for testing. Work on our large scale c.50kW fuel cell system began earlier in the year and it is being developed in parallel with our 3.5kW Alpha System. Results from the extended customer testing of the Alpha System during 2010 will be directly applicable to the large scale system which enables us to accelerate its commercialisation. To benefit from economies of scale we shall be engaging with third parties who will assemble units on our behalf. We believe this approach is less capital intensive and lower risk than alternatives such as setting up our own assembly. We are highly confident that our first large scale commercial fuel cell system product will be available during 2011.“

Directors’ participation in the placing and beneficial shareholdings after the placing are as follows:

Following admission of the 21,500,000 new ordinary shares on 10 December 2009, which will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing ordinary shares of the Group, AFC Energy’s total issued and voting share capital will comprise 149,182,854 ordinary shares.

The above figure of 149,182,854 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, AFC Energy plc under the FSA’s Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

Air Liquide has just been chosen to supply two new hydrogen filling stations, designed and developed by the Group’s Advanced Technologies teams

Access to sustainable mobility is a major issue to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, pollution in cities and to lower the dependency on fossil fuels. Hydrogen, used as an energy vector, is one of the solutions to meeting those challenges.

Air Liquide has just been chosen to supply two new hydrogen filling stations in Korea, designed and developed by the Group’s Advanced Technologies teams.

The first station, which will supply hydrogen at a pressure of 350 bars, will be delivered in the first quarter of 2010 for the government demonstration project, led by the automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motors. It will be installed within the Korea Institute of Energy Research(KIER), located on Jeju island. The KIER, a research and development institute for renewable energy, is one of the beneficiaries of the South-Korean government’s national plan to promote the development of hydrogen energy. This station will supply the new fuel cell vehicle developed by Hyundai Motors.

The second station will be delivered in the second quarter of 2010 to the Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute (KATRI). It will include dual pressure technology developed by Air Liquide for the different types of fuel cell vehicles. It will be used to fuel a bus at a pressure of 350 bars and various cars at pressures of 350 and 700 bars. The station will be installed close to the KATRI Gyeonggi-do race track, used for testing and research to improve vehicle safety.

Based on Air Liquide’s patented technologies, these hydrogen filling stations enable vehicles to fill up in less than 5 minutes in the same conditions as traditional fuels, for a driving range that can reach up to 500 kilometers for some vehicles. Over the last four years, Air Liquide has designed, built and commissioned a growing number of hydrogen filling stations. Forty six Air Liquide stations have been installed throughout the world to date. In Canada, the Vancouver and Montreal airports will install these stations to supply part of their fleet of commercial vehicles. Another station will supply the largest fleet of hydrogen buses in the world – twenty vehicles – which will be deployed during the next Vancouver Winter Olympics.

François Darchis, Senior Vice-President Air Liquide Group, in charge of R&D, Advanced Technologies and Engineering & Construction, commented: “These new installations in Korea are contributing to putting in place all the conditions required for the successful deployment of hydrogen energy in transport by 2015. They illustrate the increasing number of demonstration projects and the development of this energy vector. Air Liquide believes that it is its responsibility, as the world leader, to support the introduction of technological innovations that will help to preserve the environment. Both Energy and the Environment are growth drivers of the Air Liquide Group.”