FuelCellsWorks

BEND, OR — IdaTech plc (AIM: IDA), a global leader in the development and manufacture of clean and reliable extended run backup power fuel cell products, in conjunction with its partner Cascadiant Inc., is pleased to announce its participation at CommunicAsia.

CommunicAsia is the 21st International Communications and Information Technology Exhibition & Conference. The four-day exhibition is a perfect showcase to present the latest technological developments and product innovations for backup power fuel cells.

Participating for the fourth year, IdaTech, together with Cascadiant will promote its next generation ElectraGen™ ME Fuel Cell System — a five kilowatt fully integrated solution that enables extended run backup power for telecom base stations. The ElectraGen™ product family can be powered by hydrogen gas or by IdaTech’s proprietary fuel reformer system which converts liquid fuel (methanol-water) into high-purity hydrogen onsite as needed. The ElectraGen™ ME provides 24 or 48 VDC backup power for telecommunications applications and is a replacement for traditional solutions such as batteries and diesel generators, but with greater reliability and significantly reduced maintenance.

Visit IdaTech and Cascadiant at the Singapore Expo, booth#SK1-12, during the CommunicAsia Conference, June 15-18th.

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.

MONTREAL, QUEBEC- – Xebec Adsorption Inc. (TSX:XBC) (”Xebec”), a provider of biogas upgrading, natural gas and hydrogen purification solutions for the clean energy market, announced today that it has signed a multi-year supply agreement — and has received the first multi-unit purchase order under the agreement — with Nuvera Fuel Cells (”Nuvera”), a leading supplier of fuel cell and hydrogen re-fueling systems in the U.S. and Europe.

Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement, Nuvera will purchase Xebec’s proprietary H-3300 pressure swing adsorption (”PSA”) systems for incorporation in Nuvera’s PowerTap™ Hydrogen Generator and Hydrogen Stations to provide customers with a cost-effective source of hydrogen for refueling of fuel cell powered vehicles. The agreement expands on cooperative work done by Xebec and Nuvera over the past several years to develop advanced products that support the commercialization of clean energy technologies such as fuel cells for forklift truck applications. The H-3300 PSA will purify hydrogen to 99.999% or better to provide a clean fuel for the fuel cell whose only emission is water. 

“We are extremely pleased that Xebec’s H-3300 hydrogen purifier was selected as a key component in Nuvera’s product line,” said Kurt Sorschak, President and CEO of Xebec. ”Nuvera is a leading and visionary supplier of fuel cell power systems and hydrogen generation and refueling systems for clean energy applications. As hydrogen purification is one of Xebec’s four primary business growth segments, Xebec shares this vision and sees our proven hydrogen purification technology as a key enabler for the global clean energy and hydrogen infrastructure future,” says Sorschak.

“We have great faith in Xebec and believe that our missions are aligned in creating a clean energy future. After careful evaluation of all available technologies, Xebec’s proven advanced PSA technology was selected since it provided us with the most reliable, cost-effective and efficient solution for our critical applications,” commented Roberto Cordaro, Nuvera’s President and CEO.

The initial term of the agreement is for three years. Shipment of the first units will take place in the third quarter of 2010. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. 

About Xebec Adsorption Inc.

Xebec Adsorption Inc. is a global provider of clean energy solutions to corporations and governments looking to reduce their carbon footprints. With more than 1300 customers worldwide, Xebec designs, engineers and manufactures innovative products that transform raw gases into marketable sources of clean energy. Xebec’s strategy is focused on establishing leadership positions in markets where demand for biogas upgrading, natural gas dehydration and hydrogen purification is growing. Headquartered in Montreal (QC), Xebec is a global company with two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Montreal and Shanghai, an R&D facility in Vancouver (BC) as well as a sales and distribution network in North America, Asia and Europe. Xebec trades on the TSX under the symbol XBC. For additional information on the company and its products and services, please visit the Xebec web site at www.xebecinc.com.

About Nuvera Fuel Cells

Nuvera Fuel Cells is a global leader in the development of fuel cell systems and fuel processors for both end users and OEMs. With offices located in the U.S. and Europe, Nuvera provides clean, safe, and efficient products for industrial vehicles and equipment in addition to furthering the development of power systems for automotive and transportation applications. For additional information on Nuvera, please visit the company’s web site at www.nuvera.com.

Britain’s ITM Power (ITM.L), whose devices create fuel for hydrogen-powered vehicles, said the hydrogen industry could get a boost from the catastrophic BP (BP.L) Gulf of Mexico spill, as consumers and policymakers seek alternatives to oil.

“If you use renewable electricity, hydrogen can be made with zero carbon and reduces dependency on oil,” Chief Executive Graham Cooley told Reuters on Tuesday after the group completed its in-house manufacturing processes, moving it a step closer to commercialisation and boosting its shares.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday promised to reduce the country’s addiction to oil as lawmakers there prepared to grill BP on the April rig explosion. [ID:nN14163920]

Cooley said ITM was especially interested in the U.S. and German markets, where hydrogen infrastructure is more advanced than in Britain.

ITM is hoping for commercial sales of its hydrogen creation devices next year and said completion of the manufacturing system represented the last major milestone ahead of completion of CE product accreditation, which it expects by the end of the year.

“2010 is our product year, 2011 is our commercial year,” Cooley said.

Shares in the group rose 17 percent to a two-month high of 37 pence, extending a run commenced last week when ITM announced logistics firm DHL and London’s Stansted Airport would trial its hydrogen refuelling device.

ITM’s technology separates the hydrogen from oxygen in water. The hydrogen created can be used in a wide range of applications from laboratory work to vehicle refuelling and can be stored indefinitely until it is needed.

Hydrogen refuelling for fleets of commercial vehicles is a key focus for Sheffield-based ITM Power, Cooley said.

“We’re talking to many more people, you’ll see some newsflow in the next few months,” Cooley said.

(Reporting by Victoria Bryan, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)

Microcab Industries of Coventry, UK, and Denmark’s Serenergy A/S of Denmark have announced an agreement for the supply of 10 Serenus 3kW fuel cell systems for use in Microcab’s next generation of demonstration fuel cell hybrid vehicles.

Serenergy manufactures High Temperature PEM technology which the company says can facilitate the use of otherwise wasted thermal energy for heating of the vehicle interior, thus increasing overall system efficiency. Microcab employs lightweight construction techniques and fuel cell hybrid powertrains with electric drive in vehicles intended for urban and suburban transport.

Microcab and Serenergy say they intend to work closely together to develop this and future automotive applications. Initially Serenergy will supply a system module comprising the fuel cell, its control system, and power-conditioning circuitry to supply the hybrid battery and electric drive. Microcab and its associates will initially manufacture 8 vehicles to the new design, which will be supplied to Coventry University for participation in a 12-month trial as part of the Coventry and Birmingham Low Emissions Demonstrator project.

Making its public debut at ILA is Antares DLR-H2, the world’s first manned aircraft to take off using only power from onboard fuel cells.

Based on a Lange Aviation Antares 20E sailplane, it was developed at the DLR Institute for Technical Thermodynamics to demonstrate new standards in high-efficiency, zero-emissions energy conversion that are possible thanks to the progress in fuel cell technology.

The fuel cell system, developed in collaboration with BASF Fuel Cells and Denmark’s Serenergy A/S, uses hydrogen, converting it into electrical energy—up to 25 kilowatts of power—in a direct, electrochemical reaction with oxygen without any combustion. The only by-product is water. The fuel cell is carried under the port wing and the hydrogen tank under the starboard wing. If the hydrogen fuel is produced using renewable energy sources, then the motor glider flies with zero CO2 emissions.

In cruising flight Antares DLR-H2 only needs about 10 kilowatts of power, with the fuel cell operating at 52% efficiency. Total efficiency of the drive system from tank to power train, including the propeller, is around 44%, making it about twice as efficient as conventional propulsion technologies based on combustion processes. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 170 km/h, cruising range of 750 km, and five hours’ endurance.

The Antares DLR-H2 will be based with Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg over the next three years, acting as a platform for flight test activities aimed at employing fuel cells as a reliable supply source for onboard power in commercial transport aircraft. DLR is collaborating with Airbus Germany on a fuel cell system for providing emergency power to the hydraulic pumps used to control its Airbus A320 ATRA research aircraft.

Following demonstration flights at Hamburg in the summer of 2009, DLR’s Antares project manager, Dr. Ing. Josef Kallo, commented, “At this stage, we have only tapped into a fraction of the performance capabilities of this technology for aerospace applications.”