FuelCellsWorks

Jack Drake, Greenspoint District; Gil Sperling, U.S. Department of Energy; Keith Miller, Sysco Houston; Larry Pulliam, Sysco Corporation; Dr. Judith Craven, Sysco Board Member; Leonard Hymel, Sysco Houston; Bruce Luff, Air Products; Scott Kliever, Sysco Houston; Andy Marsh, Plug Power. Bruce Luff, Air Products; Scott Kliever, Sysco Houston; Andy Marsh, Plug Power

HOUSTON — More than 100 business leaders and government representatives today attended the official ribbon cutting for Sysco’s (NYSE:SYY) new 585,000-square-foot food distribution facility in North Houston. The company showcased its hydrogen fuel cell technology that powers its pallet trucks and forklifts.

Sysco Houston’s entire warehouse fleet, comprised of 72 pallet trucks and 26 forklifts, utilizes Plug Power’s GenDrive™ hydrogen fuel cell power units. Hydrogen fuel cells have a life of up to 10 years, considerably more than the average three to four years for incumbent batteries. Additionally, as compared with lead-acid batteries, the fuel cell power sources extend the life of the trucks and deliver a steady source of power, significantly reducing the wear on lift truck motors.

Bruce Luff, Air Products; Scott Kliever, Sysco Houston; Andy Marsh, Plug Power.

Utilizing GenDrive hydrogen fuel cells also means that battery charging and changing equipment, as well as reserve batteries, are eliminated from operational costs. The power units are fueled by operators in as little as two minutes. At the same time, Sysco is no longer responsible for the disposal of toxic lead-acid batteries. And, because hydrogen is a clean fuel, greenhouse gas emissions at the facility are significantly reduced. The only by-products generated by the material handling equipment are heat and water.

The new facility also houses Air Products’ hydrogen technology and fueling infrastructure that allows the company to receive liquid hydrogen fuel, convert it to a gaseous state, and then dispense it into the fuel cells through two hydrogen fuel pumps located in the new warehouse. The fueling dispensers are strategically located to optimize operator time and improve efficiency.

Today’s event included presentations by Sysco executives, the Department of Energy, and the Greenspoint District, as well as demonstrations of the technology by Sysco partners Plug Power and Air Products.

“Sysco is committed to energy and operational efficiency, and consistently strives to find a greener way of doing business,” said Larry Pulliam, Executive Vice President, Foodservice Operations for Sysco. “We are proud to introduce our first installation without battery infrastructure for a pallet truck fleet, and hope that this may lead to further conversions at other facilities.”

This cost-shared hydrogen fuel cell project includes a grant provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa — The ribbon has been cut and Air Products’ (NYSE: APD) hydrogen and fueling station technology is now onstream and will daily power Sysco Corporation’s (NYSE: SYY) fleet of nearly 100 hydrogen fueled pallet trucks and forklifts operating at Sysco’s new 585,000 square foot food service distribution facility in Houston, Texas.  The facility and hydrogen powered material handling equipment was showcased to business leaders and government representatives today at a Sysco event.  

“We have installed hydrogen fueling stations and infrastructure around the world.  The material handling market continues to show growing interest in converting to hydrogen powered fuel cell equipment.  This is a leading edge decision that was made, and Sysco should be commended,” said Nick Mittica, commercial manager–Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products.  Details on Air Products’ hydrogen fueling station technologies are provided at www.airproducts.com/h2energy.  

This cost-shared hydrogen fuel cell project includes a grant provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Fuel Cell Technology Program.  This facility is Sysco’s first greenfield installation without battery infrastructure for a material handling fleet.  

Air Products’ fueling infrastructure at Sysco includes an outdoor liquid hydrogen storage and compression system, along with multiple indoor fueling dispensers for operator refueling.  Air Products will fuel the fleet of pallet and reach trucks fitted with Plug Power’s (Nasdaq: PLUG) GenDrive™ hydrogen fuel cell power units.  The GenDrive systems can be quickly refueled in less than five minutes, completely eliminating the need to change, store, charge and maintain multiple lead acid batteries per lift truck.

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 Nestlé 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 at several individual sites 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, cell towers, 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 Plug Power Inc.

The architects of modern fuel cell technology, Plug Power revolutionized the industry with cost-effective power solutions that increase productivity, lower operating costs and reduce carbon footprints.  Long-standing relationships with industry leaders forged the path for our key accounts, including Sysco, Wegmans, Whole Foods, and FedEx Freight.  With more than 1,000 units in the field and over 1.5 million hours of runtime, Plug Power manufactures tomorrow’s incumbent power solutions today. Visit us at www.plugpower.com.

About Sysco

Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home.  Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries.  The company operates 186 distribution facilities serving approximately 400,000 customers.  For the fiscal year 2009 that ended June 27, 2009, the company generated more than $36 billion in sales.

Sysco Houston’s distribution facility is at 10710 Greens Crossing Boulevard in North Houston.

For more information about Sysco visit www.sysco.com.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Hydrogenics Corporation (Nasdaq:HYGS ) (TSX:HYG ), a leading developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and fuel cell products, today announced the award of two electrolyzers with supporting services to customers in Australia. One contract will supply a Hydrogenics HySTAT-30 electrolyzer for Queensland Energy Resources (QER) in Queensland, Australia; the second contract will provide Supagas, a large industrial gas company based in Melbourne, with a HySTAT-10 unit.

“Given our vast presence around the globe, we are pleased to announce these sales in Australia — expanding our foothold in another attractive market,” said Daryl Wilson, Hydrogenics President and CEO. “Our reliable, high quality electrolyzers were the sound choice for these industrial applications.”

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.

Martin-Brower extends Its sustainability plan by purchasing Oorja Protonics’ fuel cells to further reduce carbon emissions and improve warehouse productivity

Stockton, Calif. (PRWEB) June 17, 2010 — Today, Martin-Brower and Oorja Protonics jointly announced the order of the OorjaPac Model III fuel cell for use at the Martin-Brower Stockton, California food distribution facility.

The OorjaPac Model III will operate as an on-board battery charger for Martin-Brower’s Class 3 vehicles and it is anticipated that the OorjaPac Model III will eliminate demand for approximately 338 million watts per hour of electricity from the grid, while also reducing Martin-Brower’s CO2 emissions by over 1 million pounds each year. Additionally, significant operational efficiencies will be realized as the OorjaPac eliminates battery swapping and electrical demand for charging.

“Innovation has driven Martin-Brower’s operations for nearly 75 years and today it’s fueling our commitment to energy conservation,” said Steve Domokos, Vice President of Martin-Brower’s US Operations. “Embracing fuel cells is a natural progression of our plan to green the supply chain for our customers and one that we expect will payback on its investment in less than 11 months”

” Martin-Brower has a strong history of embracing new technologies to improve its operations. We are excited to be working with Martin-Brower on their green initiative and providing them with a solution that increases productivity while consequently realizing a strong return on their investment.” said Oorja’s founder and CEO Sanjiv Malhotra.

Today, Martin-Brower operates in eight countries with 4,000 customer-service dedicated employees working from 30 distribution centers delivering over 226 million cases of beef, paper, French fry’s and operating supplies to more than 9,600 restaurants each year.

ITM Power, the energy storage and clean fuel company, is pleased to announce that it has completed the roll out of its manufacturing system for the Company’s products, initially those unveiled at two recent trade fairs in Germany and California. The current products can be viewed on the Company’s web site. The manufacturing system enables the seamless design and manufacture of components and products and represents the last major milestone in the commercial launch of ITM Power’s product range ahead of completion of CE accreditation.

The Company has a team of ten staff trained in Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM). These two systems are fully integrated to allow effective data transfer and data storage using a central design vault. Each product has its own dedicated design engineer and the design team ensures that all products maintain brand image and maximise supply chain efficiency.

ITM Power has external supply chains established for its components and assemblies but manufactures key components in-house. The in-house development and design engineers work together closely to make optimal use of their expertise in all aspects of design and production. To ensure efficiency, quality and traceability, the manufacturing system also streams data directly to CNC machines and is networked across sites to aid capacity planning.

In brief, the Company now has an ISO accredited system seamlessly linking business development with manufacturing, representing manufacturing industry best practice. With the integration of CAD, CAM, Procurement and Manufacturing, ITM Power now has the systems necessary for the manufacture and delivery of its new electrolyser products.

Commenting, ITM Power CEO Graham Cooley said “ITM is finalising systems and channels in readiness for the completion of our CE product accreditation. The seamless business development and manufacturing system is a key step for ITM in responding to customer traction from the launch of our initial product range at the Hannover Messe and the US NHA conference in Long Beach, California.”

Production Manager Shaun Stancliffe added “After a great deal of planning and hard work, we are delighted to have now achieved the full integration of our business development, product design and manufacturing systems into a seamless process. We can now fully plan and resource the fulfilment of customer orders at the touch of a button whilst maintaining full traceability and quality assurance.”