FuelCellsWorks

State of the Art Fuel Cell Development Center Already Meets Specifications for New Navy Technology

The Navy Is Actively Searching for Locations for Fuel Cell Production

MURRAY HILL, N.J. & NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J.–Linde North America will showcase its next-generation hydrogen fueling technologies at the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) 21st annual conference, which will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach California, from May 3 to 5, 2010.

Linde North America, a member of The Linde Group, a world-leading gases and engineering company, will feature its ground-breaking technologies that provide safe, fast and efficient ways to fuel hydrogen vehicles. NHA, the world’s largest hydrogen technology trade association, was established in 1989 to foster the development of hydrogen technologies and their utilization in industrial, commercial, and consumer applications and promote the role of hydrogen in the energy field.

Visit Linde at booth # 109 to discuss the latest developments for supplying and fueling hydrogen-powered vehicles, including forklifts, buses and automobiles. Linde’s newly formed alternative energy team, created to focus the company’s North American efforts on its world-class technology capabilities in hydrogen and other fueling solutions, will be available to discuss all aspects of Linde’s existing systems along with those being commercially introduced this year, such as the Linde Ionic Compressor system.

This system has been used extensively in Europe for cars and buses and now is being introduced to North America for hydrogen powered buses and fork lift trucks. Unlike conventional mechanical systems which use a piston in the pressurizing process, the Ionic Compressor uses an ionic liquid in direct contact with hydrogen.

“The Ionic Compressor is a step-change in the area of hydrogen fueling,” said Mike Beckman, head of the Linde North America’s alternate energy team. “It is a high-efficiency, high-throughput, low-maintenance and low-noise compression solution to allow fast and safe filling of vehicles,” he said.

Coupled with Linde’s proprietary fueling protocol and advanced station design, the Ionic Compressor is part of a complete and compact indoor or outdoor compression, storage and dispensing solution for the hydrogen fuel cell bus and fork lift truck markets.

Linde will also introduce another high-performance hydrogen fuel system to the North American market — the MF-90 hydrogen fueling station. This containerized system, first developed and commercialized in Europe, is easy to deploy and can efficiently supply both 350 bar and 700 bar hydrogen to automobiles.

“We’re well beyond hydrogen-powered vehicles being a scientific curiosity. The technologies Linde has developed demonstrate that fueling these vehicles is a commercial reality. And, with increased emphasis on alternative fuels in Washington D.C. and an increasing number of state houses, I think we’ll see commercialization grow at a much faster pace over the next few years,” Beckman said.

Mike McGowan, head of strategic alliances for Linde’s alternative energy team, and who also serves as NHA chairman, said, “Linde is focused on finding ways to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and cut our greenhouse gas emissions. Expanding our North American vehicle fueling capabilities gives customers greater access to our strong hydrogen network and world-class engineering.”

Linde, one of the earliest entrants into the hydrogen energy arena, is a leader in the safe production, storage and distribution of hydrogen. Linde is the world’s only company with in-house technology to fuel gaseous or liquid hydrogen regardless of the mode of on-board storage.

Linde has equipped over 70 hydrogen fueling stations in 15 countries, supplying hydrogen for projects large and small. Amounts supplied range from a few hundred cubic feet of compressed hydrogen in cylinders to thousands of tons of liquid and gaseous hydrogen delivered by tank truck or pipeline.

In the U.S., Linde has supplied hydrogen fueling stations for fork lift trucks at distribution centers owned and operated by large retail and food service companies, and recently agreed to provide systems for automotive, food and soft drink companies. Linde also will supply a hydrogen vehicle fueling station for the San Francisco Airport.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with 48,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2009 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 11.2 billion (USD 15.3 billion). The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.

Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, visit Linde North America online at http://www.lindeus.com

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. — Air Products (NYSE: APD) today announced that its hydrogen fueling technology for the material handling market is being installed at the Sarasota, Florida distribution center of United Natural Foods, Inc. ( UNFI).  Air Products’ technology will fuel 65 fuel cell powered lift trucks that will be mobilized at the distribution facility moving consumer goods on a daily basis.  The equipment for the 352,000 square-foot Sarasota facility, which serves as a regional distribution hub for customers in Southeastern United States, is targeted to be operational by the end of June 2010.

“It is exciting and understandable that UNFI has made this conversion decision to hydrogen powered material handling equipment.  Air Products’ portfolio in this market includes multiple installations around the United States fueling over 300 material handling units.  We have heard a lot of positive comments from our customers, the users of this new technology who are realizing the benefits of the hydrogen economy in this application,” said Mike Doud, business development manager for Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products.

Air Products will supply the hydrogen as well as its compression, storage and two indoor hydrogen dispensing units.  UNFI will add 29 new hydrogen fuel cell-powered lift trucks to its fleet and 36 existing lift trucks will be retrofitted to hydrogen fuel cell technology.  Details on Air Products’ hydrogen fueling station technologies are provided at www.airproducts.com/h2energy.

UNFI looked to this initiative to replace lead acid batteries and their associated charging equipment with hydrogen fuel cells as part of its culture of social responsibility and its commitment to using clean energy, as well as to improve efficiency, productivity and reliability.  ”We consider environmental stewardship an essential component in every facet of our business.  This hydrogen fuel cell project extends our commitment as an environmentally-conscious organization,” commented Steven Spinner, UNFI’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

As background, a hydrogen fuel cell produces energy by combining hydrogen and oxygen in an electrochemical reaction that yields electricity, heat and water.  Hydrogen is non-toxic, non-poisonous, the lightest of all gases, and the most abundant element in the universe.  By converting UNFI’s Sarasota lift truck fleet to hydrogen fuel cells, the company expects carbon emissions will be reduced by approximately 132 metric tons annually, an amount equivalent to the annual emissions of 35 automobiles.

Tom Dziki, UNFI’s senior vice president of Sustainable Development, commented, “Hydrogen fuel cells not only provide greater productivity and lower operating costs, but will be an important component of a clean energy future.  Once implemented, this fuel cell project is expected to create annual energy savings of approximately 640,000 kilowatt hours.”

There are many advantages to using hydrogen powered forklifts and other material handling equipment.  Hydrogen fuel cell-powered equipment needs refueling once or twice daily, depending on use.  In contrast, traditional battery-powered equipment must be placed temporarily out of operation for battery replacement and required battery recharging approximately every four to six hours.  Hydrogen fuel cell-powered equipment provides consistent power strength during use and does not experience decreased performance or wear down as traditional lead-acid battery units do as they near a required battery change out or recharge time.  Additionally, hydrogen fuel cell forklifts are not adversely impacted by temperature or by operating in coolers and freezers, in comparison to traditional battery performance.  Further, hydrogen-powered fuel cell equipment is more environmentally friendly because it does not involve lead-acid battery storage and disposal issues.

Air Products’ hydrogen fueling technology is currently being used to fuel over 300 material handling vehicles including: fuel cell powered pallet trucks at Wegmans Retail Service Center in Pottsville, Pa.; fuel cell powered lift trucks at Central Grocers’ new distribution center in Joliet, Ill.; hydrogen fuel cell powered forklifts at Nestle Waters North America in Dallas, Tex.; hydrogen fuel cell powered forklifts at the Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna Pennsylvania in New Cumberland, Pa.; as well as hydrogen fuel cell powered forklifts at several other customers in the United States.  In addition, mobile fueling equipment unique and patented by Air Products has been and continues to be deployed to a variety of customers for the purpose of demonstrating the technology in real world conditions.

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 to 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.

About Air Products

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.

About UNFI

United Natural Foods, Inc. (http://www.unfi.com/) carries and distributes more than 60,000 products to more than 17,000 customer locations nationwide. The Company serves a wide variety of retail formats including conventional supermarket chains, natural product superstores, independent retail operators and the food service channel. United Natural Foods, Inc. was ranked by Forbes in 2005 as one of the “Best Managed Companies in America,” ranked by Fortune in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010 as one of its “Most Admired Companies,” winner of the Supermarket News 2008 Sustainability Excellence Award, and recognized by the Nutrition Business Journal for its 2009 Environment and Sustainability Award.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario– Hydrogenics Corporation (Nasdaq:HYGS) (TSX:HYG) (”Hydrogenics”), a leading developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and fuel cell products, today announced that the Company has reached a settlement with American Power Conversion Corporation (”APC”) regarding the litigation previously announced in a press release dated November 17, 2009. Under terms of the settlement, APC has paid Hydrogenics US$1,200,000.00, and both parties have terminated all pending claims with regard to this matter.

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.

Fuel Processing Center of Excellence Established With University of Maryland and Army Research Laboratory

    -   FuelWorks(TM) is a new center of excellence for development of fuel
        processing technology, to enable operation of fuel cell products with
        non-hydrogen fuels
    -   This initiative leverages the ongoing efforts of Ballard, the
        University of Maryland and U.S. Department of Defense

COLLEGE PARK, MD and VANCOUVER– Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLD; NASDAQ: BLDP) today announced the launch of a new center of excellence for the advancement of fuel processing technology, with founding partners University of Maryland (UMD) and U.S. Department of Defense Army Research Laboratory (ARL). The new center – named FuelWorks(TM) – will be located at the University of Maryland in College Park.

FuelWorks(TM) has a mandate to develop technologies enabling fuel cells to operate with fuels such as JP-8, diesel, natural gas as well as LPG. It will be open to industry, academia and government agencies, providing a forum for collaboration to advance fuel-reforming technology for military and commercial applications. The center of excellence will leverage the on-going collaboration among highly skilled scientific and technical staff from UMD, Ballard and Army Research Laboratory.

“Ballard is committed to accelerating the implementation of flexible fueling approaches for fuel cell generators,” said Michael Goldstein, Ballard’s Chief Commercial Officer. “This capability is especially important for developing countries that can benefit from clean fuel cell power.”

At FuelWorks(TM), collaboration will advance the operation of fuel cells using hydrogen extracted from military logistics fuels, specifically JP-8/DF-2 fuels. Success will ensure low-noise and low-heat signatures, together with very high efficiency operation, which are desirable properties for military tactical generators. Related advancements in fuel processing are also expected to have direct commercial applicability for residential, commercial, mobile and utility applications. Ballard intends to apply its substantial intellectual property portfolio of over 2,000 patents and licenses.

Ballard will also continue its active participation in UMD’s Center for Environmental Energy Engineering (CEEE), an industry-sponsored consortium of public and private organizations collaborating on clean energy solutions for portable and distributed power.

Reinhard Radermacher, Director of CEEE and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland noted “FuelWorks(TM) will build on existing expertise at CEEE and, through collaboration between Ballard and other partners, it will address critical research needs for fuel cells operating in various applications, using existing and emerging fuels.”

About Ballard Power Systems

Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLD; NASDAQ: BLDP) provides clean energy fuel cell products enabling optimized power systems for a range of applications. To learn more about Ballard, please visit www.ballard.com.