FuelCellsWorks

Air Products Chairman, President and CEO John McGlade initiated a hydrogen outreach program today with this Air Products-branded Chevy fuel cell vehicle.

Company CEO Begins Hydrogen Vehicle Outreach Program in Pennsylvania

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. — When Air Products’ (NYSE: APD) Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer John McGlade drove to work this morning, he did so with an eye on the future and with the eyes of a lot of fellow drivers watching him.  As the top executive for Air Products, the world’s leading hydrogen provider, McGlade is quite familiar with hydrogen’s potential for leading the transformation to cleaner energy.  Today McGlade initiated a hydrogen outreach program by traveling to work in an Air Products-branded Chevrolet fuel cell vehicle.  Powered by hydrogen, the vehicle’s only emission is water vapor.

“It is a quiet ride with more pep and acceleration than I expected.  It’s been fun to see the reaction of other drivers since the car’s decals definitely catch your eye,” said McGlade.  ”We think the hydrogen economy can move from novelty to an established alternative energy source.  As the leader in providing hydrogen and its fueling infrastructure, we want to do our part to increase the public’s awareness about advancements in this technology.”

Hydrogen fuel cells use only hydrogen for fuel and produce only water vapor emissions.  Hydrogen-powered fuel cells offer a sustainable technology, leading to a cleaner environment.  ”The use of hydrogen in fuel cell electric vehicles is a great environmental story and provides society a sustainable energy opportunity.  From a business standpoint, we have a large number of customers, suppliers and partners visit our headquarters.  There is no better way to talk about and demonstrate our technology and hydrogen’s capabilities than to have a vehicle, a bus and a fueling station on-site,” said McGlade.

The Air Products-branded fuel cell vehicle is an extension of GM’s highly successful “Project Driveway” program, which has amassed more than 1.3 million miles of real-world driving.  GM launched a test fleet of Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicles in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Southern California in late 2007.  Project Driveway is the largest fuel cell transportation demonstration in the world.

“As we move to a production-intent fuel cell system, there is still a lot of value in strategically placing the current vehicles with businesses like Air Products,” said Charles Freese, GM executive director of Global Fuel Cell Activities.  ”We look forward to the additional learning that our business-to-business program yields.”

The hydrogen-powered Chevy fuel cell electric vehicle at Air Products’ headquarters joins a hydrogen-powered shuttle bus that has been operating on campus and as part of local community outreach educational programs for nearly two years.  Both vehicles will fuel at the company’s hydrogen fueling station, which in 2008 hosted a nationwide road tour event and refueled the hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles of seven automakers.  Details on Air Products’ hydrogen fueling technologies are provided at www.airproducts.com/h2energy.

Just as the bus is seen at community events and programs, the Chevy fuel cell vehicle will also be part of outreach efforts led by Air Products’ employees.  ”People have a lot of questions about hydrogen and fuel cells.  They have heard about these cars and read about the technology.  What a better way to rapidly increase learning than to have our employees, who understand our role in the technology, be able to drive this vehicle to work, to the grocery store, to schools, youth sporting events and other public programs.  Getting this vehicle to these public places will generate the educational opportunity to discuss this alternative energy technology,” said David J. Taylor, vice president, Energy Businesses at Air Products.

Air Products, the leading hydrogen supplier to refineries to assist in making cleaner burning transportation fuels, has unique experience in the hydrogen fueling industry.  In fact, in certain market applications, fueling rates of over 10,000 refills per year are occurring.  These applications provide an opportunity to assess consumer experiences, evaluate product performance and advance product improvements.  The company has placed over 110 hydrogen fueling stations in the United States and 18 countries worldwide.  Cars, trucks, vans, buses, scooters, forklifts, locomotives, planes, other material handling equipment, and even submarines have been fueled with this trend-setting technology that involves Air Products’ know-how, equipment and hydrogen. Use of the company’s technology is increasing and is currently at 175,000 hydrogen fills per year.

Air Products has more than 50 years of hydrogen experience and is on the forefront of hydrogen energy technology development.  Air Products has an extensive patent portfolio with over 50 patents in hydrogen dispensing technology.  Air Products provides liquid and gaseous hydrogen, and HCNG (hydrogen/compressed natural gas) fueling, and has developed a variety of enabling devices and protocols for fuel dispensing at varied pressures.  Hydrogen for these stations is delivered to a site via truck, produced by natural gas reformation, biomass conversion, or by electrolysis, including electrolysis that is solar and wind driven.

Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services.  Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives.  The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment.  In fiscal 2009, Air Products had revenues of $8.3 billion, operations in over 40 countries, and 18,900 employees around the globe.  For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

BEND, OR–IdaTech plc (AIM: IDA), a global leader in the development and manufacture of clean and reliable PEM fuel cell products for critical backup power markets, in conjunction with its partner Cascadiant Inc. and Indonesian wireless operator PT Hutchison CP Telecommunications (HCPT), is pleased to announce a deployment of the latest generation of hydrogen backup power fuel cell systems throughout the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

IdaTech’s partner Cascadiant has been awarded the contract to install and support the ElectraGen™ H2 fuel cell systems. This order confirms the value proposition of backup power fuel cell systems and demonstrates the growing trend of telecom service providers to support and promote more eco-friendly initiatives including the reduction of telecom sector emissions, lowering energy consumption and the overall carbon footprint.

Harol Koyama, CEO of IdaTech, commented, “We are delighted to be working with Cascadiant to supply ElectraGen™ fuel cell systems for the Indonesian market. This agreement is an exciting sign of the times to come. Indonesia is a very attractive wireless market because of its large population and will undoubtedly require more solutions such as these fuel cell systems to support the operations of mobile products as they become more popular. With an experienced local partner like Cascadiant that is dedicated to identifying and promoting more sustainable means of energy within its solutions, IdaTech sees this as a significant win,” Koyama said.

According to Marshall Towe, President and CEO of Cascadiant, “We’re extremely pleased to play a leading role in furthering the use of cleaner fuel cell technology in Indonesia. This denotes a solid acceptance in the belief that greener technology is truly the wave of the future in ensuring the protection and functionality of telecom services in dire situations.” He continued by saying, “We applaud Hutchison for their forward looking endorsement of this technology and we believe that it is a milestone in achieving mass adoption of fuel cell products as viable replacements for generators and batteries.”

Telecommunications networks require reliable backup power solutions that can operate for several hours or days when electricity is no longer available due to severe weather, natural disasters, or grid quality. IdaTech’s ElectraGen™ fuel cell systems were developed specifically to provide critical backup power to the telecom market when loss of grid occurs. These fuel cell systems are fueled directly by hydrogen or by using IdaTech’s proprietary fuel reformer process that converts liquid fuel, methanol & water, into hydrogen gas to power the unit.

About IdaTech
IdaTech plc is an advanced fuel cell products company which is operationally headquartered in Bend, Oregon, USA and is listed on AIM with the ticker code IDA. IdaTech designs, develops, and manufactures extended run backup power fuel cell products for Telecom applications requiring 100 W to 15 kW of backup power. IdaTech’s unique PEM fuel cell technology provides solutions for a wide range of applications to directly support efforts towards sustainable energy. IdaTech’s portfolio of industry-certified fuel cell products are based on the company’s fuel processing, purification and fuel cell system integration capabilities. With the support of strategic partners and customers, the company’s extended run backup power products are being deployed worldwide for stationary applications.

Additional information may be obtained by contacting the company direct or by visiting its website at http://www.idatech.com.

About Cascadiant
Cascadiant is a venture backed technology solutions company with offices throughout Asia and in Portland and Chicago in the USA. The firm partners with best in breed technology companies to deliver value added, integrated solutions and hosted services in an environmentally conscious way. The Cascadiant portfolio targets wireless and broadband carriers and includes state-of-the-art hydrogen fuel cells, hosted application platforms and advanced software solutions.

ITM Power (AIM:ITM), the energy storage and clean fuel company, is pleased to announce that the Company has been awarded grant funding of £195,000.00 over 12 months towards a project to progress the development of a Clean Fuel Production Module (CFPM).

The grant will enable ITM Power to scale up cells and stacks to achieve a versatile CFPM designed for high volume manufacture; an important step to commercialise ITM Power’s key Hydrogen infrastructure products.

ITM Power is showcasing a range of Hydrogen generation products at the Hannover Messe on 19-23 April and the NHA Expo at Long Island, California on 3-6 May.

ITM Power Electrolyser Brochure

http://www.itm-power.com/index2.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=358

ITM Power HFuel Brochure

http://www.itm-power.com/index2.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=359

Dr. Graham Cooley, CEO ITM Power commented; “I am delighted that a UK government body has again acknowledged the importance and significance of ITM manufacturing its new product range in the UK.”

AFC Energy (AIM: AFC), the developer of low cost alkaline fuel cells, is pleased to confirm that all resolutions at the Company’s Annual General Meeting (‘AGM’) held today, were duly passed.

Interim Technical Review

The positive outcome of the latest independent review of AFC Energy’s technology by the Centre for Process Innovation (“CPI”), published today, was discussed at the AGM.

The Interim Technical Review, conducted on Thursday April 7th 2010 by Dr Jon Helliwell, Project Manager for Fuel Cell Applications at the CPI, follows his two more comprehensive annual reviews completed since November 2008.

Dr. Helliwell again reviewed AFC’s fuel cell system including the electrodes, the catalyst systems, the current state of technological development, material science and the forward development programme. The main conclusions of the review were:

* impressive additions to AFC’s technical capability – both team and equipment

* deployment of “elegant and iterative solutions” to rapidly progress from the 3.5kW alpha fuel cell system to a genuinely commercial 50kW beta system

* development, in just a few months, of mass manufacturing techniques and a market-ready quality control system

* major strides in electrode efficiency whilst significantly reducing cost of production

Appointment of Non-executive Director

The Board of AFC Energy also announces its appointment of Simon Hunt as Non-executive Director with immediate effect. Simon is a co founder and Executive Chairman of IPSO Ventures, which focuses on turning new technologies into commercial reality. He trained as a corporate lawyer, specialising in corporate finance, M&A and intellectual property law, before moving into venture capital management with Gartmore Investment Management Limited. He later added public company operational and investment banking experience with a further focus on corporate finance and M&A. Simon has worked with companies at all stages of their development both in the UK and the US. He is Non-executive Chairman of GEM Biofuels plc and Strathdon Investments plc, as well as a director of a number of private companies. Further details of these appointments are given below.

At the AGM, held in the London offices of the Company’s legal advisors, Eversheds, Tim Yeo, Chairman of AFC Energy, said: “Today’s technical report, the third to be issued on AFC’s technology by independent fuel cell authority Dr Jon Helliwell, makes extremely encouraging reading. It comes at the end of an exciting year in which the Company has transitioned beyond R&D alone and into a commercialisation phase. Key milestones in the last 12 months include delivering and commissioning our first fuel cell system to the chlor-alkali industry for testing, signing up world class partners in new sectors such as municipal waste and clean coal, and developing our multi-megawatt ‘SuperGreen’ power station concept. This powerful validation by the Centre for Process Innovation strengthens our ongoing belief that AFC’s alkaline technology will be the most commercially viable fuel cell system to reach genuine market readiness. I am proud to conclude from their report that, in a fuel cell sector full of “ifs,” AFC is viewed by the Centre for Process Innovation as a “when”.

“In addition, I am delighted to welcome Simon Hunt to the Company as a Non-executive Director. As individuals the AFC team has known Simon for several years and during that time have benefitted, in various roles, from his extensive sector knowledge as well as fundraising insight. We look forward to leveraging his deep experience in a formal capacity to the benefit of AFC, its development partners and its shareholders.”

“As reported previously, Dr Mike Mangan is retiring as a director on 31 May 2010 and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him on behalf of the board for his proactive involvement in assisting the Company to reach the stage it is at now. We wish him a long and happy retirement.”

Greenlight Innovation Corp. today announced the shipment of two G60 class fuel cell testing stations to PowerCell Sweden AB. The test stations will be used in the development of PowerCell’s fuel cell system for the transport and marine markets.

Burnaby, BC, Canada: Greenlight Innovation Corp. today announced the shipment of two G60 class fuel cell testing stations to PowerCell Sweden AB.   The test stations will be used in the development of PowerCell’s fuel cell system for the transport and marine markets.

The G60 is Greenlight’s most popular model of fuel cell test system, capable of operating on hydrogen or blended synthetic reformate.  Greenlight test stations are fully automated with a closed-loop control system, allowing the test station to run characterization tests, execute automated drive cycles and perform fuel cell diagnostics without operator intervention.  Greenlight has sold numerous G60 model test stations to fuel cell developers all over the world.

Ross Bailey, President of Greenlight Innovation commented, “This delivery is an important milestone for Greenlight, as this is the first shipment of a multi-year contract with PowerCell.  The PowerCell team is very knowledgeable and technically sophisticated.  They required the best possible fuel cell test stands and we look forward to meeting PowerCell’s equipment needs in the future.”

Greenlight Innovation is a global leader in the supply of fuel cell test systems to the world’s top stack developers, research institutes and automotive companies. Greenlight is based in Canada and has sales and service in North America, Europe and Asia. Greenlight is a private company, independently owned and operated.

PowerCell Sweden AB is an independent company, based upon 15 years of fuel cell development and research within Volvo AB.   PowerCell develops and distributes fuel cell systems for the transportation and stationary industry.  They have also developed a reformer which converts existing fuels into a hydrogen rich gas stream used to power their fuel cell system. PowerCell Sweden AB was founded in 2005 and is based in Gothenburg, Sweden.