Operate directly on low pressure hydrocarbon fuels such as natural gas without combustion
Operate with better than 47% simple cycle efficiency
Produce high value by-product heat (>700 degrees F) for cogeneration
Have demonstrated grid-connected operation

12/8/1999  Startech Environmental Acquires Patents - Startech Environmental/PRNewswire

A principal patent, the Hydrogen Selective Membrane System, called STARCELL, is an innovative and cost effective means of separating hydrogen directly from [Plasma Converted Gas]. Hydrogen is produced and sold for many important industrial uses. It is also the fuel used to power Fuel Cells. When used as an alternative fuel, it is the cleanest fuel there is, since it produces only water vapor and no carbon dioxide that many believe contributes to global warming. When processing wastes, STARCELL(TM) gives the [Plasma Waste Convertor] the ability to produce commercial Hydrogen as a byproduct from the world's hazardous and non- hazardous wastes.

12/7/1999  Energy Ventures Inc. Announces Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Breakthrough - EVI/Canadian News Wire

Working in conjunction with Dr. Karl Kordesch, Dr. Viktor Hacker and the Technical University of Graz in Austria, the company feels that it has completely resolved the historic problem of methanol cross-over that has restricted this technology from its inception. This technology complements the company's existing Alkaline Fuel Cell program and is a direct result of work done in that area. The improved EVI technology should result in an initial 30% to 40% improvement in output for the system without the addition of any expensive membranes or electrodes. .... Unlike most fuel cells that require Hydrogen as "fuel", a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell oxidizes methanol directly without the use of a bulky and costly reformer. Energy Ventures believes that a DMFC that operates on a liquid fuel will lead to a more rapid commercialization of the technology for transportation applications because it will simplify the on-board system requirements as well as utilize the existing petroleum distribution infrastructure.

12/7/1999  Air Products/Questor Industries to Jointly Market Pressure Swing Adsorption Systems for Hydrogen Recovery From Refinery Off-Gas Streams - Air Products/PRNewswire

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. and Questor Industries Inc., Burnaby, B.C., have signed an exclusive agreement to jointly market pressure swing adsorption (PSA) units -- with integrated valve technology -- for hydrogen recovery from refinery off- gas streams. Under the agreement, Questor's proprietary multiport rotary valve technology will be integrated with Air Products' hydrogen PSA systems to further enhance performance in providing ultra-high purity hydrogen at almost feed pressure. Questor's multiport rotary valve technology will replace the intricate series of valves on the top and bottom of each of the PSA's adsorbent beds, thereby eliminating the complex valve trains associated with traditional PSA systems. This improvement enables the PSA system to operate at a faster cycle rate, allowing for a more efficient use of adsorbent and providing refinery customers with a compact and economical process to recover hydrogen from refinery streams or increase hydrogen purity in existing recycle loops. Air Products and Questor will initially market hydrogen PSA systems to global refiners who require up to five million standard-cubic-feet-per-day of hydrogen. "Ongoing environmental regulations mandating lower sulfur fuels and reformulated gasoline are driving changes in the refining industry, and hydrogen, once burned as fuel, is now recovered to meet increasing demands in hydrotreating processes," said Robert N. Davis, Air Products' general manager- Hydrocarbons.

12/3/1999  Hydro-Quebec Unit Buys Stake in Fuel Cell Firm - Financial Post (Canada)

Hydro-Quebec CapiTech Inc. said it is part of a group that has acquired an unspecified minority stake in H Power Corp. of Belleville, N.J., for $6-million. The company said co-investors were Sofinov and ECO Fuel Cells, a subsidiary of National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corp. The cost of the investment to Hydro-Quebec CapiTech wasn't disclosed. It said H Power makes fuel cells using proton exchange membrane technology and specializes in low- and medium-power niche applications. H Power has a Canadian subsidiary, H Power Canada, in Ville Saint-Laurent, Que. Hydro-Quebec Capitech is a unit of provincial utility Hydro-Quebec.

12/2/1999  Proton Energy Systems Announces Breakthrough in Production of High Pressure Hydrogen - The Auto Channel and PES/Business Wire

Proton has successfully demonstrated that its proprietary technology produces hydrogen directly at pressure exceeding 2000 psi (pounds per square inch) from electricity and water without mechanical compression. This high-pressure hydrogen generation technology is based on an advanced Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer design. ...Upon commercialization, Proton's high pressure electrolysis technology will enable on site production of high pressure, high purity hydrogen suitable for fuel cell vehicle refueling or industrial cylinder filling. ...Andre Shortell, Citibank's London-based Managing Director and Global Auto's Specialist offered the following commentary: "Proton's proprietary technology which produces hydrogen at 2000 psi is a significant step forward in making the hydrogen fuel infrastructure a realisable goal. Low cost decentralised hydrogen production is increasingly becoming accepted as one of the prerequisites for the success of fuel cell vehicles."

12/2/1999  Methanex In Alliance For Natural Gas Conversion Process - Dow Jones

Methanex Corp. (MEOH) said it hsa formed an alliance with Synetix and ABB Lummus Global to complete the development and commercialization of the CXR Process for converting natural gas into large volumes of synthesis gas. In a news release, the company said synthesis gas can be converted into a range of fuel and petrochemical products, including methanol and hydrogen.

12/1/1999  Toshiba Affiliate to Launch Fuel Cell - Detroit News (Michigan)

International Fuel Cells LLC, a joint venture between Toshiba and U.S.-based United Technologies Corp., is developing fuel cells and reforming equipment that extract hydrogen from gasoline. IFC earlier this year began supplying prototype fuel cells to Germany's BMW. Toshiba owns 11.6 percent of IFC, while United Technologies has an 88.4-percent stake. Toshiba said automakers will be more likely to accept fuel cells that run on gasoline rather than competing models powered by hydrogen or methanol because they will allow drivers to refuel at conventional gas stations.

12/1/1999  Private Generator Empowers Iindividuals by Francine Knowles - Chicago Sun-Times

NiSource Inc. and the Institute of Gas Technology teamed up on the development of the product, which produces electricity and thermal energy for heating, air conditioning and hot water in homes and businesses. The system, which is expected to be available to a few consumers by the end of next year, is roughly the size of a home furnace. It uses stacks of fuel cells that function like a rechargeable battery. A fuel processor takes fuel, such as natural gas or propane, changes it into hydrogen and sends it to the fuel cell, which converts it into electricity. ...NiSource plans to market the system through its own energy service subsidiary, EnergyUSA. It also plans to form alliances with other energy service companies. The system is designed for use as the primary energy source or as a continuous alternate choice to electric utility companies' grids, NiSource and institute representatives said. NiSource, which is partnering with manufacturers, expects to install several field units in northwest Indiana next year. It projects that 500 of the energy system units will be produced in 2001 and tens of thousands in 2002.

12/1/1999  Northwest Power Systems Unveils Fuel Cells - NPS/PRNewswire

Northwest Power presented two different models, rated one kilowatt and three kilowatts, for on-site electric power generation. ...The devices use a chemical process to produce electricity from water and methanol. The three-kilowatt model is the first of 110 experimental units being manufactured for the 125 electric utilities served by Bonneville Power Administration under a $3.5 million purchase order awarded to Northwest Power this year. The device integrates a fuel cell manufactured by De Nora Fuel Cells, with Northwest Power's patented fuel processor. ...While the fuel is methanol, other Northwest Power models can generate electricity from kerosene, diesel, ethanol, and soon propane and methane, for stationary and portable applications.

12/1/1999  National Power and Dupont Collaborate on Fuel Cell Technology - National Power

National Power PLC and DuPont have signed a technical collaboration and supply agreement concerning the use of DuPont's Nafion membrane products in fuel cells. National Power is using NAFION to produce the fuel cells for its groundbreaking Regenesys electricity storage technology. Under the terms of the agreement, DuPont will supply the 16,000 square metres of Nafion membrane required for the first Regenesys utility scale demonstration plant that is planned to be built in the United Kingdom next year. National Power Innogy, part of the company's UK division npower, and DuPont will also collaborate to optimize DuPont's range of Nafion membrane products and to develop new membranes for the Regenesys regenerative fuel cell technology.

12/1/1999  GE MicroGen Begins Roll-Out of Worldwide Fuel Cell Distribution Network Securing Relationships in New Jersey And Georgia - GE MicroGen/PRNewswire

The initial GEMG product, the GE HomeGen 7000, will provide 100% of a residential customer's electricity needs, and will be commercially available beginning in 2001. Additional product sizes and combined heat and power systems will be available beginning in 2002. "The Flint and NJR relationships mark the launch of GEMG's global sales, distribution, and service network for the fuel cell product line," said Barry Glickman, president of GEMG. "Our distribution partners bring the customer relationships, local market knowledge and service expertise that are required to successfully introduce this product and provide ongoing sales, installation, and service support." ...In February 1999, GE MicroGen and Plug Power, a leading developer of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells for stationary and automotive applications, formed a joint venture to distribute, install and service Plug Power- manufactured stationary fuel cell systems worldwide.

11/30/1999  New Jersey Resources and GE Subsidiary Sign Fuel Cell Contract - NJR/Business Wire

NJR expects to market, distribute and install the GE fuel cell system, manufactured by Plug Power Inc., at homes and businesses throughout New Jersey beginning with test units in the summer of 2000. ...NJR plans to install 20 residential test units this summer in various locations throughout New Jersey. Once the test phase is completed, NJR expects to start actively marketing the residential systems in 2001. Small commercial units are expected to become available in 2002. The units will carry a warranty and will be co-branded with both the NJR and GE names.

11/29/1999  Energy Partners to Deliver PEM Fuel Cell System to Epyx for Testing by the U.S. DOE - Energy Partners/Business Wire

The goals of the project will encompass optimization and delivery of a multi-fuel "state of the art" 10kW PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell subsystem to Epyx, for final integration then to be tested at Argonne National Laboratory. The overall goal being to generate electricity and demonstrate the highest performance technology levels while showing stand-alone control, tight packaging, and fully integrated reliable operation.

11/29/1999  FuelCell Energy's European Licensee MTU Starts Operating Power Plant - FuelCell Energy/Business Wire

FuelCell Energy today announced that its German partner, DaimlerChrysler's MTU Friedrichshafen unit, has begun operating a new power plant using FuelCell Energy's Direct FuelCell technology. The `Hot Module' fuel cell power plant, developed by MTU Friedrichshafen, is located on the campus of the University of Bielefeld. The test facility will provide the Bielefeld municipal power utility with 250 kW of electricity and byproduct high quality heat while emitting only water, carbon dioxide and minimal traces of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. ...FuelCell Energy is focusing on developing megawatt-class plants, in order to serve larger, utility-scale and industrial customers.

11/29/1999  Dana Corporation, Texaco, Southern Company, Salt River Project Launch Fuel Cell Project at HARC - Houston Advanced Research Center/PRNewswire

The three-year, $7 million project seeks to test and determine the various conditions under which fuel cells can be put to use as a clean, reliable, and affordable energy source. The four companies participating in this initial project of HARC's newly created Center for Fuel Cell Research and Applications are Dana Corporation , Texaco, Southern Company, and Salt River Project. ..."Our objective is to demonstrate the value of stationary, near-zero emission proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell units in both small and large-scale applications," said Patrice Parsons, program director at HARC. "We will look at issues including power quality and reliability, technology transfer and training as well as the development of long-term performance and emissions data. We are particularly interested in seeing how fuel cells can be applied to new incentive programs, such as tradable pollution credits and greenhouse gas reductions." HARC plans to operate fuel cells from multiple U.S. and foreign-based manufacturers, first looking at a large 250Kw fuel cell system -- the size that could provide power for a small neighborhood.

11/23/1999 [ Ballard] Tomorrow's Technology Today - Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, USN

The Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Crane) will host a dedication on November 30, 1999 at 2:00 p.m. for the first 250 kW PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) power plant field trial unit built by Ballard Generation Systems (BGS). Guest speaker will be U.S. Congressman John Hostettler, Indiana 8th district. This project is a result of joint teaming efforts of the Office of Naval Research, NSWC Crane, Cinergy Technology, Inc., and BGS. This illustrates a significant private/public effort in applications research. As owner of the unit, Cinergy will work closely with BGS and Crane on the operation and testing of the power plant over the two-year life of the program. Common objectives for all the parties involved, both military and civilian, will be met. In military and civilian applications power quality is a growing concern due to the heavy applications of computers, electronics, and programmable logic controllers. PEM power plants through distributed generation applications will meet the need for "premium power" in critical applications from the Navy's Command and Control Systems to the automated controls on the civilian factory floor.

11/22/1999  Ballard Receives $1.3 Million [US$864,000] Order for Automotive Fuel Cells - Ballard Power Systems/Business Wire

The stacks will be integrated into fuel cell engines to be supplied by dbb for delivery to an automotive company. dbb is an alliance company, owned by DaimlerChrysler, Ford and Ballard, and is responsible for developing and manufacturing fuel cell systems incorporating the Ballard fuel cell stacks. ...Ballard is partnering with strong, world-leading companies, including DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GPU International, ALSTOM and EBARA, to commercialize Ballard fuel cells. Ballard has also supplied fuel cells to General Motors, Honda, Nissan, Volkswagen, Yamaha, Cinergy and Matsushita Electric Works, among others.

11/22/1999  Epyx and Corning to Work Together to Deliver Integrated, Low-Emission Fuel Cell Transportation System - Epyx/PRNewswire

The Epyx and Corning effort will focus on development work included in a $20 million program awarded to Epyx earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The output of the DOE program involves demonstrating a fully integrated 50 kW fuel cell system for automotive applications that meets or exceeds the PNGV (Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles) 2004 targets for emissions, efficiency, cost, start-up time, and transient response (time from 10-90 % power). Working with Epyx, Corning will conduct an R&D program to identify high-efficiency, low-cost catalyst supports for Epyx' fuel processing system. Epyx will subsequently evaluate, test, and integrate Corning's materials into a fully integrated fuel cell system specifically suited for automotive applications.

11/19/1999  ECD's Solid Storage Hydrogen Technology Highlighted at the 1999 International Mechanical Engineering Conference - ECD/PRNewswire

Noting that the proprietary Ovonic NiMH battery stores electrical energy through the reversible formation of a high-capacity metal hydride, containing hydrogen in a solid state and functioning in an electrochemical environment, Mr. Stempel stated that ECD has developed special alloys engineered to store and release hydrogen. ...Technical specifications for the Ovonic solid hydrogen storage system include: Solid hydrogen storage of 7wt% at 300 degrees Celsius desorption temperature; Excellent absorption/desorption kinetics that are initiated within seconds; Excellent cycle life in excess of 2,000 cycles; Poison tolerance, especially to carbon monoxide.

11/17/1999  AeroVironment Announces Expansion of Popular Product Line; Systems Revolutionize Testing of Fuel Cells, Batteries and Turbines - AeroVironment/Business Wire

AeroVironment's new AV-900 Volt Drive Train Development and Test System is a tool to advance the necessary heavy duty hybrid electric vehicle technology. Capable of voltages up to 900 volts and power up to 250kW...  The AV-900 was developed under a DARPA RA99 grant from the Advanced Vehicle Technologies Program, a public-private partnership intended to create cleaner, quieter, and more fuel-efficient vehicles. ...Allison Transmission is the first customer, purchasing five AV-900 systems.... "Our targeted vehicle market for hybrid vehicle technology will include heavy-duty cargo trucks, transit and shuttle buses, school buses, and military wheeled vehicles," said Dan Hancock, president of Allison Transmission. "Heavy duty hybrid electric vehicles offer the best hope for reduced emissions and significantly improved fuel economy in the next 10 years." A product designed specifically for tests requiring lower power than AeroVironment's flagship ABC-150 system, the MT-30 is a dual channel power processing system appropriate to test fuel cells and associated systems. It is extremely accurate, with quick response, which is perfect for module level or "short string" battery testing. Virtually any battery technology can be tested. In addition, distributed energy applications such as residential power will also benefit from this system to test small turbines and fuel cells.    

11/16/1999  Natex Corporation Announces Department of Energy Report On Powerball Fuel Pellets - Natex/PRNewswire

The report predicts that a future cost of powerballs can be $1.56 per gallon of gasoline equivalent and perhaps much lower when produced in high volume using efficient conversion technologies. Additionally, the DOE funded report points out that "the application of the Powerball Technology in the chemical industry represents an attractive option. The estimated plant gate manufacturing cost of sodium metal via Powerball Industries' thermochemical process could be as much as ten times less than the current commodity price for sodium produced via electrolysis. The 56 page DOE funded report also points out that "The onboard equipment for the powerball process is estimated at about $0.46/kg H2 compared to the capital cost of a pressure vessel, $750, which equals about $0.88/kg of hydrogen stored over the life of a vehicle."

11/15/1999  DCH Technology Announces New Product Based on Robust Hydrogen Sensor Technology - Signs Contract with ClorTec - DCH Technology/PRNewswire

A hydrogen explosion at a Palmdale Water District facility in Palmdale, California on June 3rd has led to a new product line based on DCH Technology, Inc.'s Robust Hydrogen Sensor. "In the process of manufacturing chlorine for water treatment facilities, hydrogen is generated as a by-product that is vented to the atmosphere via a blower system that is interlocked to the generator," explained Dennis Reid, DCHT's Director of Sales. "Unfortunately, hydrogen was allowed to accumulate in a storage tank prior to the installation of the venting system. An ignition source touched off the hydrogen accumulation resulting in injuries to one individual." DCHT announced today the introduction of a completely integrated leak detection system for the purpose of detecting hydrogen accumulation. Working with ClorTec of Campbell, California, a leading manufacturer of Sodium Hypochlorite Generation Systems, DCHT was awarded a contract to incorporate its Robust Hydrogen Sensor(TM) into ClorTec's system for installation at the Palmdale Water District facility. "Our initial contract with DCHT will result in the installation of these sensors in strategic locations throughout the system at the Palmdale facility to maximize detection in the event of another hydrogen buildup or leak," said Brent Simmons, Vice President of ClorTec. "We plan on providing this system to our distributors as a model for hydrogen detection in water treatment plants all across the United States."

11/12/1999  Ballard Receives $4.5 Million in Orders for Automotive Fuel Cells - Ballard/Business Wire

Ballard Power (Nasdaq:BLDP) (TSE:BLD.) Ballard Power Systems announced today that it has received orders for a total of $4.5-million (US$3.0-million) from its affiliate dbb fuel cell engines inc. (dbb) and its strategic partner Ford Motor Company for Ballard(R) fuel cell stacks. The stacks will be integrated into fuel cell engines to be supplied by dbb for delivery to Ford and two other automotive companies. dbb is an alliance company, owned by DaimlerChrysler, Ford and Ballard, and is responsible for developing and manufacturing fuel cell systems incorporating the Ballard fuel cell stacks. "In the past few months, at recent Motor Shows held in both Frankfurt and Tokyo, a greater number of auto manufacturers exhibited fuel cell prototype vehicles. Several of these Original Equipment Manufacturers announced or reaffirmed commercialization of fuel cell powered vehicles between 2003 and 2005," said Ballard Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Firoz Rasul. "This increasing level of activity by manufacturers is reflected in the orders we received from dbb."

11/12/1999  The Fuel Cell as an Economic Opportunity - DaimlerChrysler

According to DaimlerChrysler's Fuel Cell Project Director, Dr. Ferdinand Panik, the issue of an infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles must be addressed quickly and a decision reached as soon as possible if a competitive advantage is to be secured in the U.S. and Germany. Panik also said he believes that DaimlerChrysler's pioneering work has proved the technical feasibility of the fuel-cell drive. More than 60 companies around the world are currently working on fuel cell drives, seven of which are among the world's 10 biggest companies in terms of revenues. In addition, several automobile manufacturers have already announced their intention to launch fuel cell-driven vehicles over the next five years. The four largest Japanese automobile companies alone will have invested more than US$546 million (about 500 million Euros) in the development of fuel cells by the end of this year. "Work on the fuel cell is no longer motivated exclusively by technological and environmental considerations, but has become a genuine competitive factor," Panik said at a press symposium in Stuttgart. "We view the fuel cell as an economic opportunity that will help safeguard high-tech jobs and business success in the future." ...According to Panik, the important thing is to get governments to help ease the way for the mobile fuel cell as it approaches large-scale production. Regardless of whether it's the U.S., Japan or Europe, the development of fuel cell technology will not only open up new fields of business, but will also require new training and production methods. To succeed in the face of strong international competition, the transformation process will have to begin as early as possible. At the same time, limited petroleum resources and increasing demand for them will make alternative fuels crucial by 2020 at the latest. Panik said that the fuel cell is a "test case for the much-touted commitment of both governments and industry to entrepreneurial risk-taking and innovation. This commitment represents a key factor in establishing new technologies that will help protect the environment, improve the economy and boost employment." The first projects dealing with infrastructure are about to begin in California and Japan.

11/12/1999  Statoil and Methanex Announce Strategic Alliance - Methanex/PRNewswire

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, both companies will work together towards establishing a demonstration pilot program for fuel cell vehicles in Europe using methanol as the fuel. The pilot program will entail all aspects of the supply, distribution and marketing of methanol. Mr. Finn Kulas, head of the Methanol Division of Statoil stated, "We are convinced that methanol is a suitable and safe fuel for the fuel cell vehicles of tomorrow. As representatives of Responsible Care(R) businesses, we have decided to work together in order to prepare for such an introduction." Pierre Choquette, President and CEO of Methanex Corporation added, "This agreement with Statoil continues the steady progress being made towards establishing a retail methanol supply infrastructure for the successful commercial introduction of fuel cell vehicles. Our agreement comes at a time when auto manufacturers are becoming more and more vocal in their support for methanol as the fuel of choice for fuel cell vehicles."

11/10/1999  IMPCO Announces Breakthrough in Hydrogen Storage Technology for Automotive - IMPCO/PRNewswire

This new, ultra light-weight, low cost Hydrogen storage technology addresses the barriers relating to permeability; diffusion of the hydrogen fuel through the storage cylinder side wall, and the effects of hydrogen embrittlement on metal storage cylinders. Developed at IMPCO's Advanced Technology Center in Irvine, California, the IMPCO advanced composite hydrogen storage cylinder provides a dramatic weight reduction, increased fuel storage capacity, and the capability to produce a wide range of sizes from thermos bottle size to 20+ feet long. With a 5000 psi operating pressure and a designed hydrostatic failure pressure of 14,000 psi, IMPCO's advanced storage cylinder technology offers an unparalleled degree of safety. The cylinder has also been designed to incorporate IMPCO's NGR5000 In-Tank Regulator, which reduces the pressure at the cylinder, thereby reducing the pressure of the fuel lines throughout the vehicle, which reduces overall fuel system cost and increases safety. Syed Hussain, Vice President and General Manager of IMPCO's Technology and Automotive OEM Division said: "This breakthrough technology is the first in a series of advanced fuel system technologies enabling a global transition to a hydrogen based economy."

11/8/1999  XENERGY Study Identifies Strategies To Enter the Growing Distributed Power Market - XENERGY/PRNewswire

Six U.S. electric utilities or their affiliates -- Avista, DTE, Duquesne, Edison International, GPU and Idacorp -- have adopted a New Technology strategy by testing and acquiring rights to new advanced technologies, primarily fuel cells, through joint ventures and investments. DTE Energy Technologies, for example, purchased a stake in Plug Power, which is developing and manufacturing fuel cells, a promising generation technology for automotive and residential markets. Plug Power recently launched its IPO, and expects commercial sales to commence in 2000. ...Distributed Generation (DG), or onsite power generation by end-users, has been in use for years, but recent announcements of small scale microturbines and fuel cells could dramatically increase the Distributed Power (DP) market size for applications less than 100 kW, called "micro-DG."

11/4/1999  Global Thermoelectric Completes Fuel Cell Support System Test... - CNW

Global Thermoelectric Inc. announced that it has completed a two week test of the "balance of plant'' for its new solid oxide fuel cell stationary power generation system. The balance of plant is the support system that provides heat to start the fuel cell, thermal and water management, and reforming to convert natural gas into a stream of fuel suitable to run the fuel cell stack. It also incorporates exchangers that allow utilization of the high quality heat produced when the stack is running. By using this heat, system efficiency is significantly improved.

11/2/1999  Revolutionary Energy Storage System Plant Set for Construction - AGRA Birwelco/CNW

AGRA Inc.'s Birmingham-UK-based subsidiary, AGRA Birwelco Limited, an international engineering consulting firm, and Swindon, U.K.-based National Power PLC, owner of the technology, have completed design plans and specifications for a 120 MWh energy storage system plant that would cost about pnds stlg 14 million ($34 million Cdn) to build. The world's "largest rechargeable battery" will be housed in a commercial demonstration plant expected to be constructed by 2001 beside one of National Power's power stations in England. "The plant will be one of the largest commercial electricity storage plants of its kind in the world at 120 MWh," said Philip Johnson, General Manager of National Power Innogy. "That's enough electricity to supply approximately 10,000 homes for a day." The regenerative fuel cell technology storage system, branded Regenesys, is based on an electro-chemical process and operates like a giant rechargeable battery. It stores electricity when demand and costs are low and releases it when demand and prices are high, removing the need to call up more expensive power plants. The system, which has a peak power output of 14.75 MW and a nominal power output of 10 MW, can deliver power instantly and can therefore assist in power demand planning, enhance operational control, give customers greater security of delivery and offer lower lifetime costs than conventional storage.

11/2/1999  GAZ Metropolitain Celebrates Official Hookup of Magnola Plant - CNW

Natural gas, the main source of energy at the Magnola plant, will be used to generate electricity, produce hydrogen, dry the serpentine and for heating. Annual consumption will total an estimated 125 million m3, making Magnola Québec's third-largest natural gas user.

11/1/1999  Ballard Power Systems Issues 1999 Third Quarter Report - Ballard/Business Wiree

In late September, Ballard received a $3.9-million (US$2.6 million) order from Honda, already a Ballard customer, for Ballard(R) fuel cells. ...Earlier in September, Honda introduced two prototype fuel cell vehicles. One of these, the FCX-V1, is powered by Ballard fuel cells. At that time, Honda restated its plan to make a fuel cell vehicle commercially available by 2003.  An important development in the commercialization process was the addition of Honda and Volkswagen as members in The California Fuel Cell Partnership, founded last April by Ballard, the State of California, energy providers ARCO, Shell and Texaco, and automobile manufacturers DaimlerChrysler and Ford. ...At the beginning of October, Ballard affiliate dbb fuel cell engines inc. (dbb) introduced the next-generation commercial prototype fuel cell bus engine. dbb presented a bus powered by this engine to transit agency and government representatives and the news media at the International Public Transportation Exposition in Orlando, Florida. Improvements to this 205 kilowatt (275 hp) engine resulted directly from knowledge gained during in-service testing of buses using the previous generation fuel cell engine in Chicago and Vancouver, BC. Performance and ease of service have been greatly improved with the new engine, which is almost 2,000 kilograms (4,000 lb) lighter, uses fewer components, and uses off-the-shelf heavy duty bus engine components in place of custom components. ...At the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Daimler-Chrysler exhibited a Mercedes-Benz S-Class research vehicle to demonstrate that fuel cells can be used as an auxiliary power source for conventional automobiles. The car is equipped with a 3 kilowatt Ballard fuel cell system that generates electric power for the air conditioning and heating, television receiver, and multimedia system while the engine is switched off.

11/1/1999  Fuel Cells Top Three Million Hours of 'Green' Power - International Fuel Cells/PRNewswire

A fleet of PC25(TM) commercial fuel cell power plant systems, developed by International Fuel Cells, Inc., and manufactured and serviced by ONSI Corp., has accumulated more than three million hours of in-service operation, breaking its own world record. ONSI has produced more than 200 of the power plant systems which are operating in 84 cities throughout the United States as well as 11 countries in Europe, Asia and North America. ..."Our PC25 power plant systems remain the only commercially available fuel cell power plant in the world," said William T. Miller, president of International Fuel Cells. ...The IFC fleet has produced more than 444,000 megawatt-hours of electricity and billions of BTUs of usable thermal energy.

11/1/1999  Fuel Cell Produced For German Waste Water Treatment Plant - International Fuel Cells/PRNewswire

This will be the first time in Europe that a fuel cell will be used to recycle waste methane from a sewage treatment plant while efficiently generating electricity and thermal energy. The project will be featured at Expo 2000, an international exhibition in Germany in the summer of 2000. The power plant will be owned by GEW Koln, AG, the electric and water utility serving Cologne. ...T.B.E. GmbH, an energy consulting subsidiary of Thyssengas GmbH, arranged for the purchase and will install the unit on a turn-key basis, including a new type of gas processing unit at the waste water treatment plant. It is being shipped to Cologne in November and is slated to be operational in January. IFC fuel cell systems currently operate at four waste water treatment plants and two landfills in the United States, at three waste water treatment plants in Japan and at nearly 200 other locations world wide. The fuel cell modifications required for operation on waste methane were developed by IFC in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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1) The Riversimple Open Source Car Design Are Our Designs Free? Patrick's blog    40 Fires Foundation    June 19, 2009 How does open source car design work?     The honest answer is that we won't know until we have done it. But we have plenty of ideas, which will develop over the coming months as we share the designs for the Riversimple technology demonstrator and start to produce collaboratively a production prototype.     There are lots of inspiring examples from open source software, and we are being advised by people with experience in this area. But there are many differences between open source hardware and software design. Differences between open source hardware and software     There are some major differences between open source software and hardware design: - There is a "gap" between the on-line design work and the finished product delivered to the consumer. Not only is there substantial physical testing to be done, but also there is significant work to be done to turn the designs into an actual functioning product (we like the analogy of a food recipe – a recipe is not a meal, you need a chef to turn it into a meal). The answer we believe lies in establishing the right relationship between 40 Fires and the manufacturers (the first of which is Riversimple), where each party has its needs met. - There’s a technical challenge to share ideas on-line, where there is no satisfactory open source CAD (Computer-Aided Design) application. Our solution is to use a low tech approach at first, using a wiki-based website and freely available 3-D viewers to show the 3-D drawings. In time we may get involved in developing a OS CAD program. - Licensing. We cannot simply take the standard OS software license (the GPL is the most common), since we are dealing with hardware, which is not so well protected by copyright. See further down for some thoughts on the licensing issues. We'd like to hear from you!     As in Open Source software projects, we are not attempting to do everything at once and we don’t have to. The designs that Riversimple is licensing to 40 Fires resemble in many ways the code base which a complex software project starts with.     However, because a car is different to software and requires different development stages and processes, we will be asking for input into specific areas, as well as procedural matters.     That's why we would like to hear from you, not only from engineers or designers, but also if you have contributed to large scale open source software projects and can help set up our project management structure. Lawyers with an understanding of copyright and patents would also be useful as we review the most appropriate license to use and if and how we should be using patents for some new inventions which emerge.     To get involved, send an e-mail to participate@40fires.org explaining your interest and skills. The stages     We envisage different stages: Stage 1  Over the coming months, starting this month (July 2009), we will make available design schematics from the Riversimple technology demonstrator vehicle, together with a description of each component's function in the whole system, and a vehicle design brief for the production prototype. We will provide a mailing list or discussion forum to enable comments and discussions. At this stage we expect Riversimple, as the creator of the original designs, to be leading the discussions. Stage 2  As the detailed discussions develop, we expect a broad consensus to emerge amongst the participants as to which is the best solution to pursue for each design . By this stage, we expect the conversations to be more democratic, with a broad cross-section of collaborators participate, sharing their knowledge and insights. Stage 3  We start creating detailed designs collaboratively and publishing them on-line. Eventually an entire vehicle will be created, and tested, on-line. We are aiming to complete the design of the production prototype by the summer of 2010. Stage 4  Riversimple and other entrepreneurs, under license from 40 Fires, can start downloading the schematics and building and testing the vehicles. With the lessons from this, work can start on an improved production prototype. Are our designs free (as in beer)?     Richard Stallman famously said that free software is "free as in speech not free as in beer." Are our designs free?     We consider that the designs themselves will be free in the sense of free speech, with one exception. Currently we have chosen a Creative Commons, non-commercial license. So the designs can be used, modified, distributed under the same license terms but not for commercial purposes.     We have chosen to be conservative at this stage and not allowed commercial use. This may change - we intend to set up a discussion group to debate this. The issue is that we don't want a large, profit-focused organisation taking the designs and starting manufacturing with them yet. We intend that when we grant a manufacturing license, this will be for a small fee (say $10 per car) to cover 40 Fires running costs.     We are also keen on collaborating so if a commercial organisation wants to use the designs, we'd like to chat with them first before allowing them to use the designs for commercial purposes.     The licensing issues are very complex (patent law is not copyright law; cars are not software) and we don't pretend to have all the answers. It is quite possible that our license may in the end not meet the strict requirements of the Free Software Foundation. But all we really care about is that the license works to ensure that the cars can be built in hundreds of different variations around the world, by local companies and entrepreneurs as well as big multinationals if they like, and that no one company (whether Ford or Riversimple) can dominate the market and keep the ideas to itself.