FuelCellsWorks

Dallas, Texas — A Texas company has been awarded $140,000 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop and demonstrate a distributive electrical power system to provide reliable, cost-effective energy to residents of rural communities, and develop new sources of energy by converting renewable oils to biodiesel.

Lynntech, Inc. of College Station, Texas, is one of 34 small businesses to receive a total of $2.38 million in funding to develop new technologies to protect human health and the environment.

“Small businesses are critical elements for technical innovation in the United States,” said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz. “EPA is helping small businesses make significant contributions to both the environment and the economy through the SBIR program.”

The awards were given to businesses in 16 states under EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. SBIR was established to ensure that new technologies are developed to solve priority environmental problems. EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that participate in the SBIR program, enacted in 1982 to strengthen the role of small businesses in federal research and development, create jobs, and promote technical innovation in the United States.

Today’s awards focus on ten key environmental research areas: increasing the efficiency of green building materials and systems; manufacturing innovation; prevention, monitoring, and control using nanotechnology; reducing greenhouse gases; new treatment technologies for drinking water; improving water infrastructure; reducing emissions from small air pollution sources; reducing emissions from vehicles and biofuels production facilities; new approaches for cleaning up and monitoring hazardous waste sites; and new tools for homeland security systems.

There are approximately 25 million small businesses in the United States today. As the leading source of employment growth, these firms have generated 60-80 percent of net new jobs over the past decade and are responsible for developing most of the country’s new technologies. To be eligible to participate in SBIR, a small business must have fewer than 500 employees, and at least 51 percent of the business must be owned by U.S. citizens.

Starting on March 15, 2010, EPA is again requesting applications for the development of new environmental technologies. Visit EPA’s SBIR web site at http://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir to learn more.

A list of all SBIR awards and more information about each project are available at: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir/10awards/ .

More about activities in EPA Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/region6

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (AIM/ASX: CFU), a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation units for homes and other buildings, has successfully obtained ‘CE’ safety approval for its BlueGen gas-to-electricity generator product.

Once a product has ‘CE’ safety approval it can be sold to customers and put into service throughout Europe.

A BlueGen unit has undergone two weeks of rigorous and extensive testing at the laboratories of independent certification specialist Kiwa Gastec in The Netherlands. Kiwa Gastec is the leading certification company in Europe for fuel cell technology.

This testing program assessed the BlueGen and its components for compliance with all relevant European safety codes and requirements addressing the Gas Appliance Directive (GAD), the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive (EMC-D) & the Low Voltage Directive (LVD). The testing was completed on 2 April.

Ceramic Fuel Cells has received confirmation from Kiwa Gastec that the BlueGen successfully passed all the required tests and upon the completion of the administrative process Kiwa Gastec will issue a formal CE certificate for the BlueGen product.

BlueGen units generate electricity in the home far more efficiently than the current European power grid, cutting energy bills and significantly reducing carbon emissions.

Connecting to existing gas pipes and about the size of a dishwasher, BlueGen uses fuel cell technology to convert mains gas into electricity. Over a year, each BlueGen can produce twice the electricity needed to power an average home. Surplus electricity can be sold back to the local power grid. BlueGen also produces enough heat to satisfy the average home’s daily needs for hot water.

Ceramic Fuel Cells is continuing to build its order book for BlueGen units from major utilities and other foundation customers in Germany, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Japan and Australia.

Using the same fuel cell technology, Ceramic Fuel Cells is also developing fully integrated power and heating products with leading energy companies E.ON UK in the United Kingdom and GdF Suez in France.

Ceramic Fuel Cells has achieved electrical efficiency of 60 percent, far higher than any other technology in the rapidly expanding market for small scale power and heating generators. When heat is recovered from the electricity production process, total efficiency is up to 85 percent – twice as efficient as the average among current European power stations.

By generating power close to where it is used, Ceramic Fuel Cells’ products can meet the future demand for electricity without the need for huge investments in electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Proton Power Systems plc (AIM:PPS), a leading designer, developer and producer of fuel cells and fuel cell electric hybrid systems, announces that Ali Naini, deputy Chairman, has decided to step down from the Company’s board with effect from 20 May 2010.

Ali Naini, Deputy Chairman of Proton, said:

“I joined the Board as part of the arrangements for the £3m fundraising that my firm Turquoise International arranged for Proton in 2008. My primary objective as a director has been to make sure Proton has the follow-on funding it requires  for its current phase of development. The structures negotiated with Roundstone by which it and other shareholders can provide such follow-on funding have been stable for two years and have so far delivered some £7m of further funding despite the very difficult market conditions. It would therefore appear that my job is done.”

John Wall, Chairman of Proton, said:

“The Board and I wish to thank Ali for his excellent contribution to the Proton business and wise counsel since he joined the Board in 2008 and wish him success in his other businesses”.