FuelCellsWorks

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Collaborating for commercialization

Topsoe Fuel Cell has delivered 24 Class 1 stacks to Wärtsilä for integration in a WFC 20 unit. The delivery is a part of the continuous collaboration towards commercialization of the SOFC technology.

The first WFC20 was tested in 2007 and was fuelled by natural gas.

24 for stacks for a 50 kW system

Late last year Topsoe Fuel Cell delivered 24 class 3 stacks for the integration in a 50 kW system. The 50 kW prototype is part of the Large-SOFC project funded by EU’s 6th Framework program. The goal is to manufacture larger SOFC systems, and Topsoe Fuel Cell is on of several fuel cell technology providers.

Producing stacks on specifications

With several larger stack deliveries, Topsoe Fuel Cell has once again demonstrated the capability of producing stacks on specifications regarding equal stack capacity, high performance and on time.

Topsoe Fuel Cell production facilities

The fuel cell production facilities were commissioned at the end of 2008, and production of cells started during 2009. The state-of-art production facilities enable Topsoe Fuel Cell to deliver sufficient quantities for demonstration projects and prototypes for various product segments.

Catacel Corporation, driving reaction system innovation with patented technologies, is the recipient of a 2010 NorTech Innovation Award in the Advanced Energy, Power & Propulsion category. Catacel was one of more than 40 nominees from Northeast Ohio’s manufacturing, industrial, medical and innovation industries.

The annual NorTech awards honor the achievements of organizations whose groundbreaking developments are playing a critical role in establishing Northeast Ohio as a global nexus of technological innovation. The award to Catacel recognizes the Stackable Structural Reactor (SSR), a catalyst-coated metal foil structure that enables the production of hydrogen gas with less consumption of fossil fuel and less greenhouse gas emission.

NorTech, in partnership with Crain’s Cleveland Business, will recognize award winners during a dinner reception the evening of Wednesday, February 24, at La Centre in Westlake, Ohio. Event details are available at www.nortechinnovationawards.org.

SSR is a significant advancement in the production of hydrogen from natural gas. Many industrial manufacturing processes require hydrogen, particularly in the petrochemical, steel and food industries. Pure hydrogen is also the energy source required by most fuel cells. SSR can enable hydrogen plant operators to meet the increasing global demand for this essential gas while achieving favorable economic and environmental results.

“More than 70 million metric tons of hydrogen were produced globally in 2009,” said Bill Whittenberger, founder and president, Catacel Corporation. “At the projected annual growth rate of 10%, the world’s demand for hydrogen will border on 130 million metric tons by 2015. With widespread adoption, SSR could substantially reduce the quantities of natural gas, oil and coal that will be required to meet production.”

Fuel Cells UK is delighted to welcome the creation of the new Low Carbon  economic Area (LCEA) focusing on hydrogen energy. The LCEA will cover South Wales and the South West of England initially, providing a hub for the UK’s hydrogen activities and building on the region’s expertise in hydrogen production.

A key aim will be to establish an internationally recognised centre of excellence and expertise in hydrogen technologies encompassing the full hydrogen energy value chain. The announcement was made today by Lord Hunt, Minister of State for Energy & Climate Change during a visit to Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells’ global manufacturing facility in Lydiard Fields in Swindon.

LCEAs, which were introduced by the Government’s Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, aim to facilitate Britain’s transition to a low carbon future. This is achieved by bringing together national, regional and local bodies to join forces in accelerating growth of the low carbon industry in the UK. The new hydrogen  nergy LCEA will focus on South Wales with the strong support from the South West Regional Development Agency and £6.3m investment from the University of Glamorgan.

Dennis Hayter, Chair of Fuel Cells UK, says: ‘The announcement of the new  hydrogen energy Low Carbon Economic Area strengthens the Government’s  commitment to fuel cells and hydrogen, and brings us one step closer to the transition to a low carbon Britain. By supporting the development of a hydrogen  infrastructure through such initiatives, the UK will be better prepared for the worldwide launch of many thousands of fuel cell vehicles planned for 2015. Fuel cells offer benefits of zero-emission driving with a threefold greater range than battery-electric vehicles and, when mass produced, are expected to cost less than plug-in hybrids and battery-only electric vehicles.’

Alongside the latest LCEA announcement Lord Hunt has also congratulated companies successful in the recent Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Demonstrator Programme – a joint funding programme by the Technology Strategy Board and DECC, outcomes of which were published earlier today.

Celia Greaves, of Fuel Cells UK, said ‘Our industry has responded enthusiastically to the challenge of this programme. We are thrilled to see that 15 funded projects are now moving forward into the exciting phase of demonstration. These funding packages will complement the LCEA initiative and provide a further demonstration of the Government’s commitment to fuel cells and their role in the low carbon economy.’

• South Wales named as leading centre in the UK for hydrogen energy with South West as a key partner and with £6.3m of funding through University of Glamorgan

• Successful bidders for £7.2m of hydrogen demonstration programme funding announced

• £500k of grants awarded for new hydrogen and natural gas/biogas refuelling and electric car recharge stations

UK capabilities in hydrogen were further boosted today as the Government created the sixth Low Carbon Economic Area (LCEA). It will be focused in South Wales, with close cooperation extending as far as Swindon in the South West.

As part of this, the University of Glamorgan announced that it is investing £6.3m to develop new processes, products and services as part of the CymruH2Wales project. It will create 23 new research staff over the next three years and a further 63 permanent jobs in hydrogen energy.

Speaking at Johnson Matthey in Swindon, Energy Minister Lord Hunt highlighted how the LCEA will build on the expertise in South Wales to develop hydrogen on a commercial basis and would be closely linked to end users based on the M4 corridor. Lord Hunt also announced that the company will receive a share of £7.2m of funding to develop hydrogen and fuel cell technology.

Lord Hunt said:

“Cleaning up our energy supply and the fuel we use for transport will give the UK the opportunity to develop the low carbon industries of the future. Fuel cells and hydrogen can play a key role in cutting CO2 emissions and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

“Through this boost for hydrogen, innovative businesses like Johnson Matthey are well placed to benefit from the move to low carbon. I congratulate them on their funding award and thank them for this contribution to tackling climate change.”

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson added:

“Hydrogen presents exciting opportunities for low carbon energy and we want the UK to be at the forefront. The Government is committed to encouraging and supporting growth through our low carbon industries, skills base and supply chain.”

“That’s why we’re creating this Low Carbon Economic Area for hydrogen energy led by South Wales in close collaboration with the South West.

“These investments in research, infrastructure and commercialisation will help our universities and companies work together to seize the opportunities in hydrogen energy, to benefit the area and the whole of the UK.”

Stephen Peacock, Executive Director at the South West RDA, who will work to support regional business to exploit opportunities around the LCEA, said:

“Hydrogen fuel cells are a fantastic development when it comes to generating clean power incredibly efficiently. The South West is already a world leader in creating low carbon technologies, particularly in marine renewables.

“The hydrogen highway, running from South Wales along the M4 corridor into the South East, will help attract more cutting edge companies like Johnson Matthey into the area, allowing the South West to build infrastructure and expertise in another major form of low carbon power generation.”

There was a further boost for the University of Glamorgan when Lord Hunt revealed that it was a winner of a share of £500,000 from the latest round of the Department for Transport’s grants to encourage refuelling or recharging stations for alternative fuels. The University will use its funding to build a new multi-fuel filling station at its Pontypridd campus and further develop its existing facility at its Hydrogen Centre in Baglan.

GARDNERVILLE, NV — SymPowerco Corporation (PINKSHEETS: SYMW) CEO John Davenport announced today that the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Polygenic Power Corp. (”PPC”), has launched its Hybrid Electric Vehicle (”HEV”) prototype project. The HEV project will be advanced concurrently with SymPowerco’s recently announced Flowing Electrolyte Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (”FEDMFC”) prototype project. Both projects will be completed in-house and all intellectual property associated with the projects will remain with SymPowerco Corporation.

The Hybrid Electric Vehicles developed in the program will serve as future test platforms for SymPowerco’s FEDMFC and for retrofit Hybrid Power Systems of varying designs. The original scope of the project has been expanded to include multiple power sources for the electric drive systems including multi-fuel small-displacement internal combustion engines. The electric vehicle prototypes will be designed to be compatible with virtually any prime power source. SymPowerco’s power sources will be designed to be interchangeable with each other in response to varying consumer demands and applications.

SymPowerco has identified extensive markets for Hybrid Electric Drive Systems including golf carts, small industrial vehicles, three-wheeled taxis in the Far East (Tuk-Tuks), motorbikes and similar small vehicles. It is anticipated that Hybrid Electric Vehicles will require as much as 70% less battery weight compared to plug-in electric vehicles. With batteries being constantly recharged by SymPowerco’s FEDMFC or other mobile power source, a golf cart could weigh as much as 200 pounds less than a plug-in golf cart and would operate indefinitely by occasional refueling with a liquid fuel such as methanol, an abundant and economical alcohol.

SymPowerco Corporation develops advanced fuel cell and power delivery systems for the rapidly growing personal transportation and portable power system markets that are being created by today’s energy and environmental challenges.