AROUND THE INDUSTRY

HERA Hydrogen Storage Systems Receives Funding

HERA Hydrogen Storage Systems Inc. of Longeuil, Québec, has been granted $250,000 of research funding from the Québec and Canadian governments.

The funding will finance part of a two-year project under the leadership of Dr. Alicja Zaluska to develop new metal hydrides for hydrogen storage. Metal hydride solutions, also referred to as “solid” hydrogen storage, are very safe and have a lot of scope to improve their weight and cost performance in transportation applications. HERA’s conventional metal hydride products are currently used in high-tech niche applications but are expected to reach consumers within the next year.

Visit www.herahydrogen.com.

Hydrogenics Makes Inroads into China

Hydrogenics Corp. of Toronto, Canada, has announced that two organizations in China have selected the company’s FCATS test systems to support their progressive fuel cell programs. A repeat order also has been received from a major Japanese automotive manufacturer. The total value of the three Asia-Pacific orders totals about $1 million.

One of the new customers, the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, has been at the forefront of fuel cell research in China for many years, having many patents related to PEM technology. DICP is a primary shareholder of Dalian Sunrise Power Co. Ltd., established in 2001 to commercialize the Institute’s advanced fuel cell technologies.

The other new customer is the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, a leading research institution in organic chemistry in China with significant contributions to the development of national science, economy, and defense. As a leader in PEM research, SIOC has made prominent advances in partial fluorine PEM. SIOC is the primary shareholder of Shanghai TL Chemical Co. Ltd., which was established in 2002 to develop and commercialize PEM and MEA technologies.

Visit www.hydrogenics.com.