June 2008

Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted shared information about sustaining a high level of state government support of the industry. Ohio's Third Frontier program has awarded more than $73 million for fuel cell projects to date.
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around the industry

DOE Issues Funding Opportunity

The U.S. Department of Energy has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for up to $130 million over three years to advance the development and use of fuel cells for automotive, stationary, and portable power applications. In addition to seeking proposals for R&D projects in transportation, stationary, and portable power, DOE is also seeking proposals to demonstrate fuel cells in distributed energy systems and to support market transformations that provide real-world operation data.

The DOE anticipates making up to 50 awards through this competitive funding opportunity, which is open to industry, universities, and national laboratories. With a minimum 20% private sector cost share for the R&D projects and a minimum 50% applicant cost share for the demonstration projects, the total DOE and private sector investment in advanced hydrogen fuel cell technologies under this funding opportunity may exceed $170 million.

Applications are due on or before August 27, 2008, with funding subject to appropriations from Congress. For more information, visit www.hydrogen.energy.gov.

MTI Has Prototype for Handheld GPS Devices

MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc., the developer of Mobion® off-the-grid portable power solutions, displayed a new embedded micro fuel cell prototype design for handheld global positioning system devices at the 10th Annual International Small Fuel Cells Conference in Atlanta in May.

The prototype provides three times as much energy as GPS devices powered by four disposable AA batteries. On a model with a large, full-color screen, this fuel cell design generates up to 60 hours of continuous power and provides weeks instead of days of typical usage.

"Our Mobion-powered GPS prototype will provide handheld GPS users such as hikers and campers, travelers, boaters, pilots and other sports enthusiasts the peace of mind of much longer usage time and will help them do away with the expense, bulk and environmental unfriendliness of conventional batteries," said Peng Lim, president and CEO of MTI.

Race a Model Car at the Fuel Cell Seminar

Hundreds of attendees at the 2007 Fuel Cell Seminar and Exposition in San Antonio watched high school students race their model fuel cell cars. The refrain heard repeatedly was, "I want to play!"

This year the conference is organizing a "Professional Division" of the Global Fuel Cell Challenge for engineers and technicians in the fuel cell industry.

The rules will be simple: Build a fuel cell model car about the size of a shoebox and plaster your company's logo all over it. Race your car down a 10-meter track at the October 27-31, 2008, Fuel Cell Seminar and Exposition in Phoenix, Arizona. The fastest car will win a trophy and "bragging rights."

The entry fee is $250 and will be used to help fund the high school division of the competition.

If your company is interested in entering a car, send an email to kay@altenergyed.com. Specific rules will be developed once organizers receive sufficient participation.

Lebônê's Biofuel Microbial Fuel Cell Wins Grant

South Africa's Lebônê Solutions, a collaboration between African Harvard undergraduates and university scientists, has won the World Bank's Lighting Africa competition to develop low-cost innovative technologies to light up Africa, reports the Exchange Morning Post. Lebônê's victory earns them $200,000 to roll out their biofuel consuming microbial fuel cell (MFC) which will power lighting systems in sub-Saharan Africa.

Pioneered there by Harvard biology professor Peter Girguis, Lebônê's MFCs capture energy produced by naturally occurring microbial metabolism and can generate electricity from organic-rich materials as diverse as soil, dirty water, or any type of widely available biofuel such as food scraps, manure, and plant waste. The bio-fuel cells are easy to manufacture locally, from low-cost materials.

Together with funding from Harvard's Initiative for Global Health, Lebônê will use the winnings to conduct its first field study in the foothills of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, starting in July. Next fall, the team will test and distribute refined prototypes in Namibia in collaboration with Namibia Connection Youth Network.

General P. X. Kelley Joins Acumentrics' Board

Fuel cell developer Acumentrics Corp. of Westwood, Massachusetts, reports that one of America's most distinguished military leaders, General P. X. Kelley, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), has joined the company's board of directors. General Kelley served as the 28th Commandant of the Marine Corps and was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1983 to 1987.

"One of the greatest imperatives confronting all branches of the military today is ensuring a reliable and continuous source of energy for all defense and security needs," said General Kelley. "I look forward to working with Acumentrics to continue development of effective and innovative military power applications using a reliable, efficient and clean energy source."

Gary Simon, Acumentrics president and CEO, said, "General Kelley has a broad and deep understanding of energy security, innovation in energy efficiency and power supply, and the specific energy needs of the military."

AC Transit Procures Systems for Public Buses

AC Transit of Oakland, California, has agreed to purchase a minimum of eight 120kW PureMotion® Model 120 fuel cell systems from UTC Power of South Windsor, Connecticut, with options for an additional 13 units. The systems will power AC Transit's next-generation hybrid-electric fuel cell buses, scheduled for delivery in 2009 and 2010. This is the largest U.S. procurement of fuel cell systems for public transport buses.

The new fuel cells come with a warranty period that can be enhanced to up to 10,000 hours of operation based on the cells achieving certain defined performance milestones. AC Transit's first-generation fuel cell buses feature an earlier model UTC Power fuel cell system with a warranty of 4,000 hours, in which fuel economy in diesel gallon equivalency has consistently been 70% to 100% better than a control fleet of AC Transit diesel buses.

Full-Scale Commercial Demo Plant Goes Online

On April 26, HydroGen Corp. started up its full-scale 400kW commercial demonstration phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) plant, located at the chlor-alkali facility owned and operated by ASHTA Chemicals Inc. in Ashtabula, Ohio. A $1,250,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development helped fund the design and construction of this project.

The plant serves as a field prototype for the multi-megawatt fuel cell plants currently being developed by HydroGen for near-term commercial deployment. It is designed to use by-product hydrogen produced by the ASHTA Chemicals Inc. facility to produce and feed electrical power back to the facility for its internal use. The start-up follows the successful design, engineering and construction of the fuel cell plant at the ASHTA site, and the manufacture, delivery, and installation of the 400kW PAFC module.

The plant will now be taken through a program that includes tests of all start-up, operational, and shut-down modes at progressively higher power levels, followed by a reliability run to demonstrate system robustness under commercial operating conditions.

South Carolina Hydrogen Fueling Station Underway

Work formally began in May on a hydrogen refueling station in Columbia, South Carolina that's supposed to help make the city a center for alternative fuels. When it opens in February 2009, the station will fuel a bus that will travel around the USC campus and on several city transit routes, said Russ Keller of the South Carolina Research Authority, the project manager.

The bus from the Federal Transit Administration will remain in Columbia for a year. Officials hope the station will next fuel shuttles used at Midlands military bases and forklifts used by area companies. The station would be the Southeast's only publicly accessible hydrogen fueling station, outside of Florida.

"We want to be the next Silicon Valley with hydrogen technology," Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said. "You can't be a hydrogen city without a hydrogen station."

Funding for the $1.2 million fueling station comes from a federal grant and the research authority.

Neah Power Names Three to Board of Directors

Neah Power Systems, Inc., a leading developer of fuel cells for military application and portable electronic devices, has named James H. Smith , Robert J. McGovern and Jon M. Garfield to its board of directors.

Smith joins the company's board with 40 years of diversified management experience with semiconductors manufacturing companies, complex distribution companies, and software start-ups.

Garfield joins with operational, finance and accounting experience.

McGovern has operating, strategic development and financial experience with global businesses.

Dr. Chris D'Couto, president and CEO of Neah Power says, "Our board of directors enthusiastically welcomes these three strong candidates who bring unique and complementary skills to the board."

SSE Buys 21% in Logan Energy Ltd.

Scottish & Southern Energy Plc (SSE) has acquired a 21% stake in Logan Energy Inc.'s new United Kingdom and European arm for £375,000. The investment has been matched by a corporate co-venturing investment from Scottish Enterprise, which is acquiring a 15% stake.

Logan Energy Inc. is a United States-based fuel cell company which has installed more than 8MW of capacity. Logan Energy Ltd. will develop Logan's United Kingdom and European markets. This business is currently at various stages of discussion on more than 20 potential fuel cell CHP installations.

David Gardner, head of ventures at SSE, said, "SSE recognizes the importance of the fuel cell market in the U.K. which is why it recently invested in Intelligent Energy, a fuel cell development company. This new investment in Logan Energy Limited complements this investment very effectively."

Toshiba to Mass-produce Fuel Cells in 2009

Toshiba plans to mass-produce direct methanol fuel cells by March 2009.

The company will set aside cash to build a DMFC production line. Toshiba said it views the technology as a more eco-friendly way to power UMPCs, mobile phones and other handheld devices.

Toshiba will spend an extra ¥500 billion on R&D over the next three years to drive double-digit sales growth. The company also said DMFCs provide many more times the energy density of a Li-ion battery, allowing gadgets to be powered for longer periods of time.

Proton Motor Partners with AVL

Proton Motor, a German expert in industrial fuel cells, fuel cell systems and hybrid systems, and AVL List GmbH, a leading Austrian automotive engineering company, have signed a contract to collaborate on the development of fuel cell hybrid systems as well as the related measurement and diagnostic technology.

Proton Motor and AVL will share their expertise in engineering and simulation. AVL will provide the powertrain engineering and measurement technology while Proton Motor will provide the PEM fuel cell system. The contract will accelerate the offer and order procedure, as well as set parameters for future projects.

Financing for Hospital Projects Approved

The Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) has approved financial commitment letters for 7.2MW of projects incorporating FuelCell Energy Inc.'s DFC3000 power plants at Stamford Hospital and Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut.

The Stamford Hospital project will employ two DFC3000 power plants in a combined heat and power application. The installation will generate 4.8MW ‚ enough electricity for 4,800 homes ‚ and also generate low cost heat for the hospital. Similarly, Hospital Energy and EMCOR Energy Services will use a single DFC3000 power plant in a combined heat and power application to generate 2.4MW for the grid while it supplies Waterbury Hospital with heat. The high grade thermal energy from the DFC3000 combined heat and power offsets fuel otherwise used in boilers for heating, air conditioning, laundries, hot water and sterilization. The power plants are expected to achieve over 60% system efficiency.

Indian Institute Purchases ElectroChem Test Station

ElectroChem Inc. of Woburn, Massachusetts has sold a PowerStation Ultima™ fuel cell test station to the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras. The Power Station line of fuel cell test equipment is designed using modular building blocks to provide maximum flexibility for customization, and has a wide selection of modules.

The line's modules include software-controlled electronic load, fuel cell system controller, and gas management systems with built-in humidification for both anode and cathode gases. The Ultima can be used for qualifying up to five fuel cells simultaneously or independently. The user can program the individual flow rates, temperaures, and humidification of reactant gases to each fuel cell.

H2 Logic A/S Receives Funding Grant

H2 Logic A/S has received a funding grant from Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation (DANATF) to develop a third-generation fuel cell hybrid system for forklifts that reaches commercial targets and enables a following market introduction.

One of the first markets for fuel cell technology is recognized to be forklifts, where the technology in combination with batteries can enable zero emission and electrical propulsion of forklifts with the same fast refueling as diesel forklifts.

The development is done in collaboration with Still Danmark A/S, Müller Gas Equipment A/S and Technical University of Denmark. Still Danmark A/S is a fully owned subsidiary company of the world's second largest forklift manufacturer, KION Group GmbH in Germany.

BakVac Sucks up Dust Bunnies with Fuel Cell Tech

Here's a design concept for cool-tool vacuum makers to consider: the BakVac. Why drag around all those moving parts when you can wear them on your back like a turtle? Adding to the conven ience factor is an electric motor powered by a fuel cell.

This idea might take awhile before it's practical, what with fuel cell technology not quite perfected enough to make a household cleaning device cheap enough to compete with all those wild designs available today. But it's a compelling concept: Just pour a little easy-to-get ethanol into the BakVac, and that liquid is turned into hydrogen through the magic of chemistry, firing up a fuel cell, no batteries required. Dust bunnies beware.