May 31 (Reuters) – German car maker Daimler (DAIGn.DE) and industrial gases company Linde (LING.DE) plan to invest tens of millions of euros in hydrogen fuelling stations in Germany, two people familiar with the matter said.

They told Reuters on Tuesday the plan to build one or two dozen stations in the country is to be announced in Stuttgart, where Daimler is headquartered, on Wednesday.

Carmakers including Daimler, Toyota (7203.T), Ford (F.N) and General Motors (GM.N) joined forces in late 2009 to develop fuel cell vehicles.

Linde and Daimler as well as utility EnBW (EBKG.DE), Austria’s OMV (OMVV.VI) and France’s Total (TOTF.PA) are involved in setting up a fuelling station network that will reach from the Alps to the North Sea. (Reporting by Hendrik Sackmann and Jens Hack; Writing by Maria Sheahan)

Multi-Year Order Supports Demand for Ultra-Clean and Efficient Fuel Cell Power Plants to Meet South Korean Renewable Portfolio Standard

Limited Fleet Repair and Upgrade Program to Result in Charge to Second Quarter 2011 Earnings

DANBURY, Conn. — FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of ultra-clean, efficient and reliable power plants, today announced a two-year order for 70 megawatts (MW) of fuel cell kits from POSCO Power. The total value of the order and other commitments for services is estimated to be at least $129 million with delivery of fuel cell kits beginning in October 2011 and occurring monthly through October 2013. Payment terms include a down payment and progress payments during the term of the contract, with approximately 40 percent of the contract value received by October, 2011. POSCO Power is an independent power producer in South Korea and subsidiary of POSCO, a global steel producer.

“Fuel cells address the needs of the South Korean market for ultra-clean and efficient power that is generated continuously,” said Soung-Sik Cho, President and CEO, POSCO Power. ”We expect fuel cells to play a significant role in meeting the new and renewable power needs for South Korea under the Renewable Portfolio Standard and we want to ensure that POSCO Power is positioned to meet the demand.”

South Korea adopted a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in 2010 to promote clean energy, reduce carbon emissions, and develop a local green-industry to promote economic growth. Beginning in 2012, 350 MW of renewable energy per year is mandated through 2016, and 700 MW per year through 2022. Fuel cells operating on natural gas and biogas fully qualify under the RPS and earned a prominent position within the RPS pricing mechanism due to their efficient and reliable generation of ultra-clean power.

“This is the largest order ever received by FuelCell Energy, almost doubling product sales and service backlog and enabling us to maintain production at an annual rate of 55 MW,” said Chip Bottone, President and CEO of FuelCell Energy, Inc. “Higher production levels will drive product costs down further as we achieve manufacturing and purchasing efficiencies.”

“Our relationship with POSCO Power is an excellent example of the market for fuel cells where value is placed on ultra-clean baseload distributed generation and where we have a strong local partner to grow the market,” continued Mr. Bottone.

POSCO Power recently completed construction of a fuel cell module assembly facility, which utilizes FuelCell Energy proprietary fuel cell components. POSCO Power stacks the fuel cell components to create the fuel cell module and adds electrical and mechanical balance of plant to complete the power plant. The POSCO Power fuel cell module assembly and balance of plant facilities are designed for 100 MW annual capacity.

In addition to the revenue generated by the sale of fuel cell kits, FuelCell Energy receives a royalty for each complete power plant built and installed by POSCO Power, under a licensing agreement signed in 2009. Future potential royalty payments to FCE are not included in the $129 million estimated order value.

This announcement follows an order in June 2009 for 30.8 MW of fuel cell modules and components valued at approximately $58 million. Including this order, POSCO Power has ordered 140 MW of fuel cells.

Second Quarter 2011 Charge to Earnings

FuelCell Energy, Inc. has committed to a repair and upgrade program for a select group of 1.2 MW fuel cell modules produced between 2007 and early 2009. Second quarter 2011 earnings will be impacted by a non-recurring charge of approximately $9 million, which will be accounted for as an increase to cost of goods sold. The program will begin in the third quarter of 2011 and no additional charges are anticipated.  The estimated cash impact in fiscal 2011 is $3 to $5 million.

The program will ensure that this group of modules is achieving expected performance levels. The performance shortfall is due to the type of sealant and design utilized, not the stack itself. In total, 16 modules totaling 19.2 MW will be affected with 14 of the modules located in South Korea and the remaining two modules located in the USA. Completion of the program is expected by mid-2012.

“We understand the cause of the performance shortfall and are confident that it impacts only a subset of our fleet as different designs and sealant material are used for the remainder of the modules in the fleet,” said Chip Bottone. ”The performance for these 1.2 megawatt modules did not meet our objectives. Subsequent advancements in sealant technology combined with a different design prevent this performance shortfall from occurring in our current generation of 1.4 megawatt fuel cell modules or any of our sub-megawatt modules.”

FuelCell Energy will release second quarter 2011 earnings on June 6, 2011, after the market close. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected.

About FuelCell Energy

DFC® fuel cells are generating power at over 50 locations worldwide. The Company’s power plants have generated over 750 million kWh of power using a variety of fuels including renewable wastewater gas, biogas from beer and food processing, as well as natural gas and other hydrocarbon fuels. FuelCell Energy has partnerships with major power plant developers and power companies around the world. The Company also receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and other government agencies for the development of leading edge technologies such as fuel cells. For more information please visit our website at www.fuelcellenergy.com

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited [AIM/ASX:CFU], a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation units for homes and other buildings, today announced it has signed a contract to sell 25 BlueGen gas-to-electricty units to Ausgrid (formerly Energy Australia).

The units will be installed in homes in Newcastle as part of Ausgrid’s ‘Smart Grid, Smart City’ project. The $100 million project, funded by the Australian Government, is Australia’s largest smart grid project.

The 25 BlueGen units – the second largest BlueGen order received by Ceramic Fuel Cells – will be installed in homes over the next few months, generating electricity from natural gas with the world’s highest electrical efficiency, as well as providing hot water for the home.

The ‘Smart Grid, Smart City’ initiative utilises a smart grid – a new type of electricity network that uses advanced communication, sensing and metering that more efficiently manages electricity supply and demand. The initiative is gathering robust information about the costs and benefits of smart grids, and will inform future decisions by government, electricity providers, technology suppliers and consumers across Australia.

The project’s consortium includes CSIRO, IBM Australia, AGL, GE Energy, TransGrid, Newcastle City Council and the NSW Government.

The order from Ausgrid follows the company’s previous purchase of a BlueGen unit for its Smart Home in the Sydney suburb of Newington. Since the unit was installed in August 2010 it has generated 9,283 kilowatts of power and saved 10.4 tonnes of CO2 compared to power from the local grid. Importantly Ausgrid has run the unit in a variety of modes, including constant power and modulating power, to match the typical load of a home. The BlueGen at the Smart Home has been generating about twice as much electricity as the family has been using to run their household appliances and charge an electric vehicle. Any excess electricity generated by the BlueGen has been exported to the grid.

Brendan Dow, Managing Director of Ceramic Fuel Cells, said: “We are delighted that Ausgrid has selected BlueGen units for its ‘Smart Grid, Smart City’ project. The distributed generation of electricity – creating electricity near the place of use, rather than centrally – is an important part of the future of smart grids.”

Ausgrid Managing Director George Maltabarow said: “We’re testing whether adding distributed generation like fuel cells can make the grid more efficient by flattening out peaks in electricity demand, as well as deliver benefits to households.”

Suzuki and Nippon Steel began trials of a hydrogen fuel cell scooter, using hydrogen generated at Nippon Steel’s Yahata refinery, in Kitakyushu. It is the first trial in Japan of a two-wheeled vehicle using that type of fuel. The issues that must be resolved for the success of the enterprise are a system providing a stable supply of hydrogen and the safety of the tank holding the hydrogen.

The Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter is a hybrid, and functions differently depending on whether you’re accelerating (drawing on both battery and fuel cell), cruising (mainly the cell), or idling. It has a range of 217 miles on single tank (350 kms) which is four times the typical range. The scooter uses a PEM fuel cell from the British company Intelligent energy. The scooter has already been undergoing tests by the British Government since Feb 2010. The fueling stations are a part of the Hydrogen Town Project initiated in January 2011 which aims to develop the infrastructure for effectively distributing hydrogen for use in fuel cells at home, offices and vehicles.

A team of researchers from the UPC-Barcelona Tech, the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) and the University of Auckland (New Zealand) uses ethanol and sunlight to generate hydrogen as an energy source. The results of the study have been published in ‘Nature Chemistry’.

Students of The Hague University of Applied Sciences have won a prize for Europe’s most efficient fuel-efficient city car. The car, which won the first prize at the European Shell Eco Marathon, runs on hydrogen and uses 14 times less energy than the average electrical car.

In all, 183 groups from across Europe, including 11 from the Netherlands, entered the contest, which took place in the German town of Lausitz.

The team from The Hague, which competed as the Hydro Cruisers, were ecstatic. “We are incredibly happy with the result. We’ve been working on this all year long”, says Niels van Etten. Last year the Hydro Cruisers won in the same category, that of city cars, with a car that runs for 747 kilometres on a single litre of fuel.

Extremely efficient
The Dutch team won in the hydrogen category. The biggest winners in Lausitz, however, were the French La Joliverie team, who designed the prototype for a new combustion engine. Thanks to their new design and their extremely efficient driving style, the French succeeded to get the equivalent mileage of 3,688 kilometres on one litre of petrol.

This was the 27the edition of the Shcell Eco Marathon. The event is organised for pupils and students aged between 13 and 26 from high schools, polytechnics and universities.

Super cool
Next year the event will be held in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. The team’s cars will then for the first time compete on public roads rather than a race track. Hydro Cruiser Niels van Etten is upbeat: “It’s super cool that we’ll defend our European record in front of a home crowd. It’s an additional incentive to make our car even more efficient.”

A team of scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory originally developed this 300-watt engineering prototype of a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell system for defense applications. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A team of scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., in partnership with the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, developed a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell technology for future Department of Defense and commercial applications. Recently, USC and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, which manages JPL for NASA, awarded a license to SFC Energy, Inc., the U.S. affiliate of SFC Energy AG. The non-exclusive license for the technology will facilitate the expansion of the company’s methanol fuel cell products into the U.S. market.

This novel fuel cell technology uses liquid methanol as a fuel to produce electrical energy, and does not require any fuel processing. Pure water and carbon dioxide are the only byproducts of the fuel cell, and no pollutants are emitted. Direct Methanol Fuel Cells offer several advantages over other current fuel cell systems, especially with regard to simplicity of design and higher energy density. Current systems rely on hydrogen gas, a substance that is more difficult to transport and store.

“JPL invented the Direct Methanol Fuel Cell concept and also made significant contributions to all the facets of the technology. These contributions include: development of advanced catalyst materials, high-performance fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies, compact fuel cell stacks, and system designs,” said JPL Power Technology Program Manager Rao Surampudi. He explained that USC worked with JPL in the development and advancement of this technology for defense and commercial applications.

Over the years, those applications have expanded from the original defense applications to include such uses as battery chargers for consumer electronics, electric vehicles, stand-alone power systems, and uninterrupted/emergency power supplies.

“We are looking forward to working closely with the fuel cell industry to further develop this technology to meet future market needs,” said Erik Brandon, current Electrochemical Technologies group supervisor at JPL.

From 1989 to 1998, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funded JPL and USC to develop direct methanol fuel cells for future defense applications. Inventors on the JPL team include Surampudi, Sri. R. Narayanan, Harvey Frank, Thomas Valdez, Andrew Kindler, Eugene Vamos and Gerald Halpert. The USC inventor team includes G.K. Surya Prakash, Marshall Smart and Nobel Laureate George Olah.

More information is available at: http://www.ott.caltech.edu/

“This fuel cell may well become the power source of choice for energy-efficient, non-polluting military and consumer applications,” said Gerald Halpert, former Electrochemical Technologies group supervisor at JPL.

The Caltech and NASA technology transfer programs are designed to help U.S. companies improve their competitive positions in the global economy by transferring JPL technology into the marketplace.

ROOSEVELT ISLAND, N.Y. — Yesterday, The Octagon, a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED) Silver 500-unit apartment community on Roosevelt Island, made green history by becoming the first residential building in the State of New York to be powered and heated by a 400 kilowatt (kW) fuel cell from UTC Power. This installation marks a paradigm shift in the State’s use of clean energy technologies, made possible through New York’s progressive stance on energy policy.  The project was supported by $1.2 million in financial incentives from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The fuel cell arrived on Roosevelt Islandthis winter and is now operating at full capacity.

“Roosevelt Island is a place where progressive green initiatives are at the forefront of our smart growth plans. We are proud of our island partners, including Becker + Becker, who are contributing to a greener Island and a cleaner City,” said Leslie Torres, President and CEO of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, the New York State Public Benefit Corporation responsible for the development and operation of Roosevelt Island.

The fuel cell, a PureCell® System Model 400, is a combined heat and power (CHP) system that represents a game-changing technology. It converts natural gas to electricity and heat through a combustion-free, electrochemical process to provide power and heat to meet the majority of the apartment building’s energy demand.  The energy efficiency achieved by the fuel cell is significantly higher than the energy received from the grid and emissions are negligible.  Additionally, the fuel cell’s process heat is captured to satisfy the building’s space heating and domestic water requirements.

“We are so proud that the Multi-Employer Property Trust (MEPT) and Becker + Becker have selected UTC Power’s PureCell System to provide reliable on-site power to this innovative and historic project,” said Neal Montany, Director of UTC Power’s stationary fuel cell business. “It is truly rewarding to know that the benefits of our efficient and clean fuel cell technology will touch the daily lives of the residents of The Octagon.”

“On-site fuel cell technology represents the future of electricity generation in this country,” said Bruce Becker, President, Becker + Becker, the building’s developer and architect. “Traditionally, large capacity fuel cells are utilized at schools, hospitals, and other energy-intensive facilities, but multifamily residential buildings represent a perfect – heretofore uncultivated – opportunity for fuel cell technology because of their ability to continually utilize the fuel cell’s process heat in the form of hot water and space heating demand.”  The application of the fuel cell at The Octagon is estimated to reduce the carbon emissions of the site by 790 metric tons annually.

NYSERDA’s award winning CHP Demonstration Program helps showcase pioneering fuel cell projects, such as The Octagon. To encourage others to adopt fuel cell technology, NYSERDA’s $21.6 million Customer-Sited Tier Fuel Cell Program provides an incentive toward the cost of fuel cell installations, plus payments over the first three years of operation based on power produced. Funding is awarded to applications received on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“Fuel cells present a promising technology that NYSERDA strongly supports,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA. “I commend The Octagon for the innovative energy and environmental investments throughout its facility for which all residents can be proud, and look forward to partnering on future clean energy projects.”

In addition to The Octagon, a variety of facilities around the state are installing or operating fuel cells funded partially by NYSERDA, including a Price Chopper store (Colonie), a Coca-Cola Refreshments bottling facility (Elmsford), and the East Rochester Central School District.

With its breakthrough utilization of fuel cell power and range of other efficiency measures, such as a 50 kW solar photovoltaic array, The Octagon has become a nationally recognized model for green building. It is a certified LEED Silver community, utilizing approximately 35% less energy than required by code.  Having received financial support from NYSERDA, for energy efficiency measures and now the fuel cells, The Octagon is an example of the successful public-private partnerships forged by NYSERDA to advance New York’s ambitious energy and environmental goals.

The Octagon fuel cell required a significant upfront investment by the primary investor in the building, MEPT, a Union Pension fund committed to responsible property investing.  The project received a grant from NYSERDA to cover approximately half the cost of the fuel cell unit.  Additionally, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the project will qualify for a federal refundable tax credit to cover approximately 30% of the installation cost.  This assistance, in addition to the annual energy savings the fuel cell will produce, allow for a payback of approximately five years.

About The Octagon:

A beautifully restored, award-winning Manhattan landmark, The Octagon is Roosevelt Island’s greenest waterfront residence.  Completed in 2006, The Octagon houses 500 luxury rental apartments.  For more information, please visit www.OctagonNYC.com or call 212.888.8NYC.

About UTC Power

UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company, is a world leader in developing and producing fuel cells that generate energy for buildings and for transportation, space and defense applications. The company, with more than 50 years of experience, is based in South Windsor, Conn. UTC Power is the only fuel cell company in the world to have worked with all five major fuel cell technologies and to produce fuel cells for both stationary and transportation applications. For more information, please visit www.utcpower.com

About NYSERDA

NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, offers objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise and funding to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.  NYSERDA professionals work to protect our environment and create clean-energy jobs. NYSERDA has been developing partnerships to advance innovative energy solutions in New York since 1975.

Brunnthal/Munich, Germany– The success story continues: with EFOY COMFORT, SFC Energy AG, the technological and market leader in mobile and off-grid energy solutions on fuel cell basis, is introducing a new, further optimised series of its popular power generator for mobile homes, sailing yachts and holiday cabins to the market. The new on-board power supply for recreational applications, even quieter and proven fit for year-round service, is available in three performance classes. The three new EFOY COMFORT models replace the previous EFOY series of five models throughout Europe. Starting in June 2011, the new EFOY COMFORT will also be available to retail customers through authorised dealers.

In addition to a further increase in performance, the new EFOY COMFORT series is above all characterised by the fact that it is now even quieter, thanks to the intelligent utilisation of vibration-absorbing attenuators from the automobile industry: this whisper-quiet power generator is scarcely audible, even right under your bed. ”The new EFOY COMFORT systems are our response to the ideas and wishes of our mobile home and marine customers,“ says Dr. Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Energy AG. “They wanted greater quiet, improved ease of handling and higher-performance units. The EFOY COMFORT fuel cells offer them exactly that. And what will please them just as much: thanks to the technical achievements of our development engineers, they will save in terms of purchase price, compared with the previous units.“ Although the performance of the new EFOY COMFORT increases by up to 15 percent, the customers benefit from an up to 15 percent improved price performance ratio.

And handling has been further optimised, as well. The new EFOY COMFORT units have an intuitive, user-friendly menu navigation, a larger display enables greater reading ease, and with the expert mode for the first time users can configure individual settings, such as adjusting threshold levels. Furthermore, the EFOY COMFORT appears in a new, appealing and functional design. Dr. Podesser explains this innovation: “In our discussions with customers, we learned that many mobile home and sailboat owners are true electronics experts. We have built in this function with them in mind.“

The new EFOY COMFORT series consists of three units with a charge capacity of 80, 140 or 210 Ah per day, enabling customers to select the perfect energy supply for their individual power needs with ease. With the aid of a simple test on the SFC website, customers can easily choose their required performance class.

With the EFOY COMFORT product line, SFC once again demonstrates its leadership in innovation and its clear orientation towards customer requirements for comprehensive solutions that users need only to plug in and switch on. The success speaks for itself: currently the company has sold over 21,000 of its eco-friendly, low-noise power generators world-wide, and a customer satisfaction survey conducted by SFC shows: 93 percent of SFC customers would always purchase EFOY devices again. In the magazine “promobil”’s readers’s survey, EFOY has consistently taken its place among the Top 3 brands for four years in a row; over 50 mobile home manufacturers throughout Europe offer EFOY with their vehicles.

More information is available at www.efoy.com and www.sfc.com.

SCS Energy, an independent power producer involved in clean power projects nationally, has executed a conditional agreement to take over Hydrogen Energy California (HECA) and to move a modified power project forward through permitting, construction and operation.

Earlier this year, HECA’s original investors — BP and Rio Tinto — entered into discussions with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to seek ways to sustain the project upon their exit by replacing their investment.  These efforts resulted in SCS Energy proposing a viable solution that will enable the continued feasibility of the project.

BP and Rio Tinto had invested $55 million each to lay the groundwork for HECA’s feasibility.  “Both companies are pleased to see SCS Energy develop the project in a way that will create value for its core business,” according to Jonathan Briggs of HECA.

DOE has invested $54 million in the project under a financial assistance agreement with HECA; these funds were provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  DOE is working with BP, Rio Tinto and SCS Energy to build on this investment and ensure HECA can access the remaining $354 million in financial assistance under HECA’s Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI-3) award.

The HECA project  is in an advanced permitting stage and has strong support from numerous communities nearby the project’s location.

SCS Energy intends to  use a design that has been several years in development to add polygeneration capabilities to the HECA project. This modification to the project allows integration of electricity generation, greenhouse gas sequestration, and urea production in a way that would allow the plant to use the hydrogen generated from fossil fuel to generate electricity, urea or both depending on market demand. Urea is widely used in fertilizers for agriculture.

Also, the plant still will capture 90% percent of the CO2 produced and transport it to an adjacent oil field where it will be used for enhanced oil recovery and sequestration in deep underground geological formations.

The approach of producing both electricity and urea helps address the economic challenge of creating a viable business model to cover the high capital costs of the plant and its carbon capture capabilities.

Renewable clean energy research at the University of South Australia will examine the potential of hydrogen to take over from fossil fuel use.

A four-year grant of more than $900,000 will support work on a process which mimics photosynthesis in plants to produce hydrogen.

UniSA researcher Professor Thomas Nann says there is potential to replace damaging fuels.

“Hydrogen is a gas and it can be easily converted into electricity … and it can be directly burned so hydrogen has the potential to replace fossil fuels likes oil and gas,” he said.

“Hydrogen has some advantages over other energy sources as it has a very high energy density, higher than that of oil and natural gas.

“We try to build you can call it an artificial leaf, so that’s a little device that absorbs sunlight and converts the solar energy into chemical energy, in this case it’s hydrogen.”

Australian Research Council fellowships started in 2008 to support research efforts in areas deemed to be of critical national importance.

KITA-KYUSHU, JAPAN, UK–Intelligent Energy, the global clean power systems company, has announced today that the Suzuki Motor Corporation has presented an Intelligent Energy powered Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter to Nippon Steel, the world’s fourth largest steel manufacturer, at a ceremony in Kita-Kysushu, Japan on 17 May. It is the first time that one of the zero emission fuel cell vehicles, which recently achieved European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA), has been delivered outside the Suzuki Motor Corporation.

The presentation, which took place at Kitakyushu Hydrogen Station in Kita-Kyushu City in the Fukuoka Prefecture, featured speeches from Mr Hiroshi Ogawa (Governor of Fukuoka), Mr. Kenji Kitahashi (Mayor of Kita-Kyushu City), Mr Akio Mimura (Chairman, Nippon Steel), Mr Osamu Suzuki (Chairman, Suzuki Motor Corporation) and was attended by Dr Henri Winand (Chief Executive, Intelligent Energy).

Mr Akio Mimura, Chairman of Nippon Steel, remarked upon being presented with the Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter that, “The current situation in Japan tells us more about importance of distributed generation and energy source, and we hope we can contribute to it with the hydrogen generated from our factory.”

Mr Osamu Suzuki, Chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation, said, “We applied fuel cell technology to scooters because Suzuki started its business making motorcycles, but we also would like to seek for further chances to extend this technology to other vehicle applications.”

First exhibited at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show in October 2009, the Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter, equipped with the latest version of Intelligent Energy’s unique, air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell system, has recently been awarded WVTA status, making it the world’s first hydrogen vehicle to be approved for production and sale within Europe.

“Japan has made clear its intention to support mass consumer market adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology, which makes our ‘design once, deploy many times’ proprietary technology very attractive to global blue chip companies looking to target these markets,” explained Dr. Henri Winand, Chief Executive, Intelligent Energy. “The delivery today of a Fuel Cell Burgman Scooter to Nippon Steel is both an important milestone for the vehicle, and another historic achievement in our ongoing commercial relationship with the Suzuki Motor Corporation.”

From the Russian capital Moscow, the F-CELL World Drive starts on its 24th leg on May 20. During three days, the vehicles travel 800 kilometers to St. Petersburg. One day before, local media took the opportunity to test drive the locally emission-free
B-Class F-CELL in Moscow.

    -   High-volume GDL fabrication costs reduced more than 50%
    -   Facilitates competitive positioning in fuel cell markets

VANCOUVER– Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLD) (NASDAQ: BLDP) announced that the company’s material products division is a recipient of the 2011 Annual Merit Review Award from the U.S. Department of Energy. The award recognizes Ballard’s success in reducing manufacturing cost of gas diffusion layer (GDL) material, a critical component of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) used in every Ballard fuel cell product.

Implementation of improved process control tools, installation of web-handling equipment together with other initiatives focused on the production process have facilitated high-volume production of GDL material at Ballard. This has reduced the fabrication cost from $36 down to $16 per kilowatt of each proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell product. In addition, since 2008 improved production yields and reduced material scrap have increased capacity at the company’s Lowell, MA plant by a factor of four.

Bill Foulds, President of Ballard’s material products division said, “Our GDL products are designed to meet the rigorous demands of a wide range of fuel cell applications, from kilowatt-scale backup power systems to megawatt-scale distributed generation solutions. GDL cost reduction contributes directly to our corporate goal of lowering fuel cell product costs by a further 20-to-25% this year.”

2011 Annual Merit Review Award recipients were selected by a Peer Review Panel, following evaluation of the relative merits of various hydrogen and fuel cell projects. The awards recognize outstanding achievements and significant contributions to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program. The award to Ballard acknowledges the efforts of Jason Morgan, Principal Investigator for the DoE funded cost reduction program.

Ballard’s material products division is the only major North American manufacturer of GDL fuel cell material and is a leading provider of engineered carbon fiber materials. Fuel cells using GDL material provide zero-emission power for a variety of applications, thereby supporting public sector clean energy policy. Ballard is the sole commercial enterprise to receive a 2011 Annual Merit Review Award.

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. Products contain proprietary esencia(TM) technology, ensuring incomparable performance, durability and versatility. To learn more about Ballard, please visit www.ballard.com.

ACAL Energy Limited (“ACAL Energy”), is pleased to annnouce securing £400,000 investment funding from The North West Fund for Energy and Environmental (“NWF4E&E”).

The NWF4E&E is managed by CT Investment Partners LLP (“CTIP”), one of the UK’s most active early stage investors in the energy and environmental sector. The investment is CTIP’s maiden investment from the £20 million that comprises NWF4E&E.

The funding will be used alongside the other recently annnounced such as the one from to support the ongoing development of in applications, such as off-grid power for telecommunications and automotive power trains.

CTIP has managed NWF4E&E since its inception in December 2010. The £20 million Fund is part of the £185 million JEREMIE fund, provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to supply debt and equity funding to small and medium sized enterprises in the North West of England.

Adam Workman, partner at CT Investment Partners, said: “Collaborative funding is essential in the capital-intensive clean technology industry and this investment in ACAL Energy is no different. With significant financial backing and management support, ACAL Energy is now working towards commercialisation of its fuel cell technology which will radically improve the reliability and cost effectiveness of fuel cells.

Dr SB Cha, chief executive officer at ACAL Energy, said: “We are very grateful to be the first investment from The North West Fund for Energy and Environmental. The funds will help ACAL Energy commercialize our technology, beginning with stationary power applications and eventually entering automotive, and deliver substantial reductions in CO2 emissions while at the same time helping build the North West region into a center for low carbon industries.”

Andy Leach, CEO of North West Business Finance, said: “The energy and environmental sector is a key area of growth for the North West economy and ACAL Energy is a great example of a quality company in the region that needs a funding boost to unlock growth. I am delighted to see that CTIP has completed its first investment from NWF4E&E and look forward to see further investments.”

David Malpass, Director of European Programme, ERDF said: “The past decade has seen huge growth in the energy and environmental sector and it is important the region capitalises on the opportunities this important sector presents. I am delighted with this investment, which will boost economic development, create jobs and strengthen the regional supply chain.”

Audi Q5 Hybrid Fuel Cell

Audi brought to this year’s Michelin Challenge Bibendum an experimental Q5 Hybrid Fuel Cell model. With this green SUV, the German automaker is studying the potential of mixing a hybrid powertrain with the hydrogen fuel cell technology for improving the driving range in comparison to a regular hydrogen-powered car that uses hydrogen fuel cells to generate the necessary electricity.

Audi Q5 Hybrid Fuel Cell

The car has two high-pressure cylinders in which the hydrogen is stored at a pressure rate of 10,153 psi (700 bar). The engineers used a polymer electrolyte membrane for manufacturing the fuel cell, which generates 131 hp (133 PS / 98 kW). The two electric motors have been installed close to the car’s wheels and they offer a combined output of 121 hp (122 PS / 90 kW) and a peak torque of 309.78 lb.-ft (420 Nm). For storing energy, the Audi Q5 HFC has a 1.3 kWh lithium-ion battery.

Audi Q5 Hybrid Fuel Cell

No words about the fuel economy or the driving range of the car as the model is still in its early stages of development but the project looks very promising  and we hope that someday Audi will roll out a production version based on this concept.

Audi Q5 Hybrid Fuel Cell

Using bacteria to generate energy is a signifiant step closer following a breakthrough discovery by scientists at the University of East Anglia.

Chemical Engineering students at Stevens are transforming the way that American soldiers power their battery-operated devices by making a small change: a really small change. Capitalizing on the unique properties of microscale systems, the students have invented a microreactor that converts everyday fossil fuels like propane and butane into pure hydrogen for fuel cell batteries. These batteries are not only highly efficient, but also can be replenished with hydrogen again and again for years of resilient performance in the field.

With soldiers carrying up to 80% of gear weight in batteries, the Army has a high interest in replacing the current paradigm of single-use batteries with a reliable, reusable power source. The Stevens-made microreactors thus have the potential to not only reduce waste from disposable batteries, but also provide American soldiers with a dependable way to recharge the batteries for the critical devices that keep them safe.

Current methods for generating fuel cell hydrogen are both sophisticated and risky, requiring high temperatures and a vacuum to produce the necessary chemical-reaction-causing plasmas. Once in a container, hydrogen is a highly volatile substance that is dangerous and expensive to transport.

The Stevens microreactor overcomes both of these barriers by using low temperatures and atmospheric pressure, and by producing hydrogen only as needed to avoid creating explosive targets in combat areas. These advanced reactors are created using cutting-edge microfabrication techniques, similar to those used to create plasma television screens, which use microscale physics to produce plasma under normal atmospheres.

The team has already had success producing hydrogen from methanol. After gasifying methanol by suspending it in hot nitrogen gas, the mixture is drawn into a 25µm channel in the microreactor. There, it reacts with plasma to cause thermal decomposition, breaking down the methanol into its elemental components. Now the team is conducting tests to see what kind of yields are realizable from various starter fuels. Eventually, soldiers will be able to convert everyday liquid fuels like propane or butane, commonly found on military bases, into high-potency juice for portable fuel cell batteries.

The team, made up of seniors Ali Acosta, Kyle Lazzaro, Randy Parrilla, and Andrew Robertson, are supporting Ph.D. candidate Peter Lindner in a research project sponsored by the U.S. Army. The project is overseen by Dr. Ronald Besser. The team will be presenting their device prototype at Senior Projects Expo on April 27.

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited(1) , a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation units for homes and other buildings, has signed a distribution agreement with RES On-Site Limited, part of the RES Group(2) , to market, sell, install and service Ceramic Fuel Cells’ BlueGen gas-to-electricity units in the United Kingdom.

Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement RES On-Site will distribute BlueGen, targeting the commercial microgeneration energy market throughout the UK. RES On-Site holds MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) installer accreditations in a wide range of technologies and is adding the microCHP accreditation to this and so will provide installation and after-sales service for BlueGen products. It will also support Ceramic Fuel Cells in developing the market for BlueGen.

The RES Group is a leading international renewable energy company with operations across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. To date the RES Group has delivered more than 5GW of renewable energy projects worldwide. RES On-Site sells and installs a range of low emission power and heating products for commercial, industrial and public sector customers, including wind, biomass, solar PV and solar hot water.

BlueGen uses ceramic fuel cells to turn natural gas into electricity and heat for hot water, with each unit capable of producing more than three times the electricity needed to power the average home. The UK average domestic power consumption is estimated at 3,300 kWh per annum(3) .

Surplus electricity can be sold back to the grid or used in supplementary applications such as charging an electric car, as well as having the additional benefit of providing heat for domestic hot water use. BlueGen units generate electricity at up to double the efficiency of the current power grid, reducing energy bills as well as making significant carbon savings.

Most recently, BlueGen has been successfully chosen to participate in CE Electric UK’s GBP54 million low-carbon Smart Grid project.

Commenting on the announcement, Brendan Dow, Managing Director of Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited said:

“To be working with the RES Group, one of the world’s leading renewable energy development companies, is exciting news for CFCL and is yet another endorsement of BlueGen.

“The reputation, expertise and market penetration that the RES Group offers means that we are now even better placed to capitalise on the significant market opportunities that the UK offers.”

Mike Atkinson – Managing Director, RES On-Site Limited added:

“RES are delighted to add the world leading BlueGen microCHP product from CFCL to our portfolio of class leading renewable and low carbon energy technologies. This diverse portfolio allows RES On-site to offer our customers the most suitable solution for their specific carbon reduction application.

“The UK Government’s tariff structures supporting the deployment of exciting new products such as BlueGen makes the UK a hugely dynamic developing market for renewable technologies and RES On-site is committed to being at the forefront of that market.”

Paddy Thompson, General Manager Business Development at Ceramic Fuel Cells added:

“RES On-Site Limited is highly experienced and MCS accredited, and together we are ready to enable BlueGen customers to take full advantage of the microCHP feed in tariff as well as the considerable energy cost and carbon savings made available by BlueGen.

“This is the first UK distributor agreement signed by CFCL and we look forward to working closely with RES On-Site as awareness of the many benefits offered by fuel cell cogeneration grows.”

The agreement is in line with Ceramic Fuel Cells’ strategy to sell BlueGen units worldwide through a network of distributors and to outsource the sale, installation and service of BlueGen units. The agreement with RES On-Site Limited in the UK follows similar BlueGen distribution agreements with partners in Australia.