- Email: [email protected]
Kansai Electric, Mitsubishi Materials develop efficient SOFC
NEWS powerplant, from fuel cells to internal combustion engines (ICEs) and ICE gensets in a hybrid configuration. It plans to demonstrate both the hybrid and fuel cell configurations on the X/V-1. The boat will complete testing and public demonstrations throughout 2004, with the goal of limited retail availability in 2005. Under the terms of the agreement between the two companies, TOHS will also provide HaveBlue with technical support and join the list of industry leaders sponsoring the X/V-1 technology demonstration program. Subject to completion of a successful test program, TOHS will also become an approved supplier to licensees of HaveBlue’s patented technology, while HaveBlue will become an authorized wholesale distributor of TOHS systems to the marine marketplace. TOHS is a 50:50 joint venture between Energy Conversion Devices Inc (ECD Ovonics) and a unit of ChevronTexaco formed to bring metal hydride hydrogen storage systems into full commercial production for emerging fuel cell markets including FCVs, stationary and portable power systems, and lead-acid battery replacements. TOHS is testing both large and small hydrogen systems for a variety of applications. Contact: HaveBlue LLC, Ventura Harbor, California, USA. Tel: +1 805 985 2010, www.haveblue.com Or contact: Texaco Ovonic Hydrogen Systems, Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA. Tel: +1 248 293 8772, www.txohydrogen.com
Axpo supports Hexis biogas fueling study
I
n Switzerland, Sulzer Hexis is carrying out a technical feasibility study on the operation of its solid oxide fuel cells on biogas, with support from utility company Axpo Holding AG as part of its natural power program, which promotes electricity generation from regenerative sources. Sulzer Hexis develops fuel cell systems based on SOFC technology, which allows a degree of flexibility in the choice of fuel. While focusing on natural gas, Sulzer Hexis is testing its fuel cell concept for the use of other fuels. It has already successfully tested a biogas-fueled demonstration system on a farm for more than a year. The costs of this test phase were borne by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. Within the framework of the project financed by Axpo, fuel processing and its influence on the performance of the cell stack will be investigated, and the technical feasibility of adapting it to different power ranges will be examined. 4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Sulzer and Axpo are already collaborating on a two-year cogeneration trial [FCB, December 2003]. Contact: Sulzer Hexis Ltd, CH-8404 Winterthur, Switzerland. Tel: +41 52 262 6311, www.hexis.com Or contact: Axpo Holding AG, CH-5401 Baden, Switzerland. Tel: +41 56 200 3777, www.axpo.ch
MTI Micro receives $10m investment
N
ew York institutional investor Fletcher International Ltd has made a $10m investment in Mechanical Technology Inc (MTI), through the purchase of about 1.4m shares of MTI stock. The proceeds will enable the company’s MTI MicroFuel Cells subsidiary to roll out its first line of miniature fuel cells later this year. Under the deal, Fletcher could also buy another $26m of MTI stock by the end of 2006, provided certain deadlines are met. Albany, NY-based MTI Micro has been developing a direct methanol fuel cell that will serve as a long-life replacement for batteries in portable electronics. Several companies are working on such products; MTI has reached development alliances with companies such as Gillette Co, the maker of Duracell batteries [FCB, December 2003], and Harris Corporation, a maker of military radios [FCB, January 2003]. MTI Micro expects to spend about $1.5m a month in 2004 on its commercialization efforts and the development of additional products. Under the agreement with Fletcher, MTI has the right to force Fletcher to purchase the final $18m worth of stock if the prevailing price of MTI stock exceeds $11.28 for two consecutive quarter-ends prior to 30 June 2005, or for any quarter-end after that date. In exchange, MTI granted Fletcher a one-time right to purchase up to $10m worth of its holdings in Plug Power common stock during June 2005, under certain circumstances. Contact: MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc, Albany, NY, USA. Tel: +1 518 533 2222, www.mtimicrofuelcells.com
Direct FuelCell power for Salt River Project
C
onnecticut-based FuelCell Energy is to supply a 250 kWe Direct FuelCell® (DFC) power plant to Arizona-based electricity utility, Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement
and Power District (SRP). Delivery is expected in late 2004 or early 2005, but the financial terms of the deal, which includes a servicing agreement, were not disclosed. The DFC300A will be owned and operated by SRP, and will be located at the Arizona State University East Campus in Mesa. The unit will feed the electricity output into SRP’s local grid. SRP provides electricity to nearly 800 000 customers in the Phoenix area. It operates or participates in seven major power plants and numerous other generating stations, including thermal, nuclear and hydroelectric sources. Municipal utilities have been early adopters of environmentally friendly and efficient technologies; the SRP installation is FCE’s fifth DFC installation for a municipal utility customer. The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power is operating three DFC300A power plants within its city limits [FCB, November 2003], and FCE expects to deliver a 250 kWe unit to American Municipal Power–Ohio for a substation in the city of Westerville in the first quarter of this year [FCB, January]. Meanwhile, FCE has added George K. Petty, a corporate director of Enbridge Energy Management LLC and Enbridge Inc to its board, bringing the total number of directors to 12. Enbridge was a major shareholder in Global Thermoelectric, which FCE acquired last year [FCB, September 2003]. In November Enbridge became a distributor of FCE’s DFC power plants in Canada. Contact: FuelCell Energy Inc, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com or www.fce.com Or contact: Ms Herjinder Hawkins, Renewable Energy & Technologies Manager, Salt River Project, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Tel: +1 602 236 2045, Email: [email protected], www.srpnet.com
Kansai Electric, Mitsubishi Materials develop efficient SOFC
I
n Japan, Osaka-based Kansai Electric Power and Mitsubishi Materials Corporation in Tokyo have jointly developed a fuel cell system that they claim to be one of the most efficient currently available. The companies claim that their SOFC system achieves a power generation efficiency of around 50%, almost double the 25–35% of most current systems. Kansai Electric and Mitsubishi Materials have raised the efficiency of their SOFC system
March 2004
NEWS by employing electrodes with smaller molecular structures. In addition to higher efficiency, the new system offers an operating temperature of about 800°C rather than the 1000°C or so required by most other SOFC systems. The lower operating temperature makes the system cheaper to build, because widely available materials such as stainless steel can be used. According to a Jiji Press report, the companies demonstrated the new SOFC using natural gas as the fuel, and achieved an electric power output of 1 kW. They now plan to develop a commercial >10 kWe SOFC power generation system by the spring of 2007, targeted at business users such as stores and small factories. Contact: Technology Research Center, Kansai Electric Power Company, Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo, Japan. Tel: +81 6 6494 9712, Fax: +81 6 6494 9827, www.kepco.co.jp Or contact: Naka Research Center, Central Research Institute, Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Naka-gun, Ibaraki, Japan. Tel: +81 29 295 5802, Fax: +81 29 295 5824, www.mmc.co.jp
Investment in spinoff fuel cell company in UK
C
onduit Ventures, the Europeanbased venture capital company focused on fuel cells and related hydrogen technologies, has led a Series A venture capital investment in CMR Fuel Cells Ltd, a new fuel cell development company based in Cambridge, UK. The co-investor was Carbon Trust Investments Ltd. CMR Fuel Cells is a spin-off from The Generics Group, which remains a significant minority shareholder. CMR Fuel Cells is dedicated to the development of a revolutionary flow-through fuel cell utilizing mixed reactants. The patented Compact Mixed-Reactant (CMR) stack technology, developed at Generics over the past two years, aims to make fuel cells 10 times smaller and more powerful and up to 80% cheaper than competing products, thereby overcoming the key hurdles delaying mass-market global sales. According to the company, CMR offers a radically simplified architecture and a robust porous solid-state stack with dramatically fewer and cheaper components than current fuel cells. CMR is applying its technology first in portable direct methanol fuel cells. The core team at CMR is led by CEO Michael Priestnall, previously head of Fuel Cell Consulting at Generics, and Michael Evans, previously a principal researcher at the University of Cambridge. The team has more 20 years’ experience in the fuel cell industry.
March 2004
Conduit’s principal Daniel Carter says the company was ‘impressed by CMR’s unique technology, team and its development and progress to date. CMR’s stack technology has the potential to achieve superior cost, size and reliability targets, affording the company a position as an enabler in significant segments of the small-scale premium power fuel cell market.’ The investment is the latest for the Conduit Ventures Fund, established in early 2002 and backed by Shell Hydrogen, Mitsubishi Corporation, Johnson Matthey and, most recently, Danfoss A/S [FCB, June 2003]. Previous investments include PEM fuel cell companies Cellex Power Systems in Vancouver and Boston-based Protonex Technology Corporation. Contact: Michael Priestnall, CMR Fuel Cells Ltd, Cambridge, UK. Tel: +44 1223 875 29, Email: michael. [email protected], www.cmrfuelcells.com Or contact: John Butt, CEO, Conduit Ventures Ltd, London, UK. Tel: +44 20 7242 9595, Email: [email protected]. www.conduit-ventures.com Or contact: The Generics Group, Harston, Cambridge, UK. Tel: +44 1223 875200, Email: [email protected], www.genericsgroup.com Or contact: The Carbon Trust, London, UK. Tel: +44 20 7170 7000, Email: [email protected], www.thecarbontrust.co.uk
Darpa contract for P&E hydrogen separation membranes
P
ennsylvania’s Power & Energy Inc (P&E) has been selected for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract award by the US Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). The contract is for the development of a novel low-cost membrane for recovery of hydrogen from fuel cell reformate, and is a continuation of a successfully completed Phase I contract funded by the US Army Research Office (ARO). P&E has recently developed new hybrid hydrogen separation technology specifically for fuel cell applications. Under the contract, it will manufacture high-efficiency palladium alloy thin-film membranes using its patent-pending technology. The company believes the new membrane will enable fuel cell users to costeffectively generate high-purity hydrogen ondemand from any reformed fuel source. With its comparatively low cost, compact size and passive operation, P&E’s membrane technology
In Brief CTO quits Ballard Vancouver-based Ballard Power Systems has announced that its chief technology officer, Fred Vasconcelos, is leaving ‘by mutual agreement’ to pursue other professional interests. Prior to joining Ballard in October 2000, Vasconcelos was a vice-president at disk-drive maker, Seagate Technology. An executive search has been initiated for a new CTO, but in the mean time CTO responsibilities will be shared by three members of Ballard’s management team until a successor is named. Dr Charles Stone, who leads Ballard’s R&D activities, will take on added responsibility for technology planning. Dr Fred Flett will continue to be responsible for electric drive and power conversion product development, while Jim Sturek will assume responsibility for all fuel cell product development activities in Vancouver and Nabern, Germany. Each will report directly to president/CEO, Dennis Campbell, who is ‘confident that the experience and capabilities of our interim leadership team will provide a seamless transition.’ Nippon Oil field-testing kerosene-based hydrogen fuel cell Japan’s largest oil refiner, Nippon Oil Corporation, plans to start selling a newly developed kerosene-based hydrogen fuel cell in the retail market in 2006 for ¥2–3m (US$19 000– 28 000), according to a Dow Jones report from Tokyo. The company has apparently already supplied a 10 kWe pilot fuel cell to the New Energy Foundation, which expected to begin test operations during February at a convenience store in the Shinagawa district of Tokyo. Nippon Oil has developed technology to extract sulfur from kerosene and then produce hydrogen from the kerosene. The company jointly built the pilot 10 kWe fuel cell – which generates sufficient electricity to power a typical small or medium-sized commercial facility such as a restaurant or drugstore – with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Early last year Nippon Oil began testing six of its residential PEM fuel cell systems using reformed propane [FCB, March 2003]. The New Energy Foundation is coordinating the development of stationary fuel cell power systems among 11 or so major Japanese companies, including Matsushita Electric Industrial, Sanyo Electric, Toshiba, Ebara and Toyota Motor Corporation. The participants are committed to field testing fuel cells at more than 40 locations across Japan by March 2005. Meanwhile, Japan Energy Corporation – part of Tokyo-based Nippon Mining Holdings – will begin research this fiscal year on a 5 kWe residential fuel cell running on LPG. The company expects to complete the project in fiscal 2005, according to the Nikkei Business Daily.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5
Axpo supports Hexis biogas fueling study
I
n Switzerland, Sulzer Hexis is carrying out a technical feasibility study on the operation of its solid oxide fuel cells on biogas, with support from utility company Axpo Holding AG as part of its natural power program, which promotes electricity generation from regenerative sources. Sulzer Hexis develops fuel cell systems based on SOFC technology, which allows a degree of flexibility in the choice of fuel. While focusing on natural gas, Sulzer Hexis is testing its fuel cell concept for the use of other fuels. It has already successfully tested a biogas-fueled demonstration system on a farm for more than a year. The costs of this test phase were borne by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. Within the framework of the project financed by Axpo, fuel processing and its influence on the performance of the cell stack will be investigated, and the technical feasibility of adapting it to different power ranges will be examined. 4
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Sulzer and Axpo are already collaborating on a two-year cogeneration trial [FCB, December 2003]. Contact: Sulzer Hexis Ltd, CH-8404 Winterthur, Switzerland. Tel: +41 52 262 6311, www.hexis.com Or contact: Axpo Holding AG, CH-5401 Baden, Switzerland. Tel: +41 56 200 3777, www.axpo.ch
MTI Micro receives $10m investment
N
ew York institutional investor Fletcher International Ltd has made a $10m investment in Mechanical Technology Inc (MTI), through the purchase of about 1.4m shares of MTI stock. The proceeds will enable the company’s MTI MicroFuel Cells subsidiary to roll out its first line of miniature fuel cells later this year. Under the deal, Fletcher could also buy another $26m of MTI stock by the end of 2006, provided certain deadlines are met. Albany, NY-based MTI Micro has been developing a direct methanol fuel cell that will serve as a long-life replacement for batteries in portable electronics. Several companies are working on such products; MTI has reached development alliances with companies such as Gillette Co, the maker of Duracell batteries [FCB, December 2003], and Harris Corporation, a maker of military radios [FCB, January 2003]. MTI Micro expects to spend about $1.5m a month in 2004 on its commercialization efforts and the development of additional products. Under the agreement with Fletcher, MTI has the right to force Fletcher to purchase the final $18m worth of stock if the prevailing price of MTI stock exceeds $11.28 for two consecutive quarter-ends prior to 30 June 2005, or for any quarter-end after that date. In exchange, MTI granted Fletcher a one-time right to purchase up to $10m worth of its holdings in Plug Power common stock during June 2005, under certain circumstances. Contact: MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc, Albany, NY, USA. Tel: +1 518 533 2222, www.mtimicrofuelcells.com
Direct FuelCell power for Salt River Project
C
onnecticut-based FuelCell Energy is to supply a 250 kWe Direct FuelCell® (DFC) power plant to Arizona-based electricity utility, Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement
and Power District (SRP). Delivery is expected in late 2004 or early 2005, but the financial terms of the deal, which includes a servicing agreement, were not disclosed. The DFC300A will be owned and operated by SRP, and will be located at the Arizona State University East Campus in Mesa. The unit will feed the electricity output into SRP’s local grid. SRP provides electricity to nearly 800 000 customers in the Phoenix area. It operates or participates in seven major power plants and numerous other generating stations, including thermal, nuclear and hydroelectric sources. Municipal utilities have been early adopters of environmentally friendly and efficient technologies; the SRP installation is FCE’s fifth DFC installation for a municipal utility customer. The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power is operating three DFC300A power plants within its city limits [FCB, November 2003], and FCE expects to deliver a 250 kWe unit to American Municipal Power–Ohio for a substation in the city of Westerville in the first quarter of this year [FCB, January]. Meanwhile, FCE has added George K. Petty, a corporate director of Enbridge Energy Management LLC and Enbridge Inc to its board, bringing the total number of directors to 12. Enbridge was a major shareholder in Global Thermoelectric, which FCE acquired last year [FCB, September 2003]. In November Enbridge became a distributor of FCE’s DFC power plants in Canada. Contact: FuelCell Energy Inc, Danbury, Connecticut, USA. Tel: +1 203 825 6000, www.fuelcellenergy.com or www.fce.com Or contact: Ms Herjinder Hawkins, Renewable Energy & Technologies Manager, Salt River Project, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Tel: +1 602 236 2045, Email: [email protected], www.srpnet.com
Kansai Electric, Mitsubishi Materials develop efficient SOFC
I
n Japan, Osaka-based Kansai Electric Power and Mitsubishi Materials Corporation in Tokyo have jointly developed a fuel cell system that they claim to be one of the most efficient currently available. The companies claim that their SOFC system achieves a power generation efficiency of around 50%, almost double the 25–35% of most current systems. Kansai Electric and Mitsubishi Materials have raised the efficiency of their SOFC system
March 2004
NEWS by employing electrodes with smaller molecular structures. In addition to higher efficiency, the new system offers an operating temperature of about 800°C rather than the 1000°C or so required by most other SOFC systems. The lower operating temperature makes the system cheaper to build, because widely available materials such as stainless steel can be used. According to a Jiji Press report, the companies demonstrated the new SOFC using natural gas as the fuel, and achieved an electric power output of 1 kW. They now plan to develop a commercial >10 kWe SOFC power generation system by the spring of 2007, targeted at business users such as stores and small factories. Contact: Technology Research Center, Kansai Electric Power Company, Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo, Japan. Tel: +81 6 6494 9712, Fax: +81 6 6494 9827, www.kepco.co.jp Or contact: Naka Research Center, Central Research Institute, Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Naka-gun, Ibaraki, Japan. Tel: +81 29 295 5802, Fax: +81 29 295 5824, www.mmc.co.jp
Investment in spinoff fuel cell company in UK
C
onduit Ventures, the Europeanbased venture capital company focused on fuel cells and related hydrogen technologies, has led a Series A venture capital investment in CMR Fuel Cells Ltd, a new fuel cell development company based in Cambridge, UK. The co-investor was Carbon Trust Investments Ltd. CMR Fuel Cells is a spin-off from The Generics Group, which remains a significant minority shareholder. CMR Fuel Cells is dedicated to the development of a revolutionary flow-through fuel cell utilizing mixed reactants. The patented Compact Mixed-Reactant (CMR) stack technology, developed at Generics over the past two years, aims to make fuel cells 10 times smaller and more powerful and up to 80% cheaper than competing products, thereby overcoming the key hurdles delaying mass-market global sales. According to the company, CMR offers a radically simplified architecture and a robust porous solid-state stack with dramatically fewer and cheaper components than current fuel cells. CMR is applying its technology first in portable direct methanol fuel cells. The core team at CMR is led by CEO Michael Priestnall, previously head of Fuel Cell Consulting at Generics, and Michael Evans, previously a principal researcher at the University of Cambridge. The team has more 20 years’ experience in the fuel cell industry.
March 2004
Conduit’s principal Daniel Carter says the company was ‘impressed by CMR’s unique technology, team and its development and progress to date. CMR’s stack technology has the potential to achieve superior cost, size and reliability targets, affording the company a position as an enabler in significant segments of the small-scale premium power fuel cell market.’ The investment is the latest for the Conduit Ventures Fund, established in early 2002 and backed by Shell Hydrogen, Mitsubishi Corporation, Johnson Matthey and, most recently, Danfoss A/S [FCB, June 2003]. Previous investments include PEM fuel cell companies Cellex Power Systems in Vancouver and Boston-based Protonex Technology Corporation. Contact: Michael Priestnall, CMR Fuel Cells Ltd, Cambridge, UK. Tel: +44 1223 875 29, Email: michael. [email protected], www.cmrfuelcells.com Or contact: John Butt, CEO, Conduit Ventures Ltd, London, UK. Tel: +44 20 7242 9595, Email: [email protected]. www.conduit-ventures.com Or contact: The Generics Group, Harston, Cambridge, UK. Tel: +44 1223 875200, Email: [email protected], www.genericsgroup.com Or contact: The Carbon Trust, London, UK. Tel: +44 20 7170 7000, Email: [email protected], www.thecarbontrust.co.uk
Darpa contract for P&E hydrogen separation membranes
P
ennsylvania’s Power & Energy Inc (P&E) has been selected for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract award by the US Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). The contract is for the development of a novel low-cost membrane for recovery of hydrogen from fuel cell reformate, and is a continuation of a successfully completed Phase I contract funded by the US Army Research Office (ARO). P&E has recently developed new hybrid hydrogen separation technology specifically for fuel cell applications. Under the contract, it will manufacture high-efficiency palladium alloy thin-film membranes using its patent-pending technology. The company believes the new membrane will enable fuel cell users to costeffectively generate high-purity hydrogen ondemand from any reformed fuel source. With its comparatively low cost, compact size and passive operation, P&E’s membrane technology
In Brief CTO quits Ballard Vancouver-based Ballard Power Systems has announced that its chief technology officer, Fred Vasconcelos, is leaving ‘by mutual agreement’ to pursue other professional interests. Prior to joining Ballard in October 2000, Vasconcelos was a vice-president at disk-drive maker, Seagate Technology. An executive search has been initiated for a new CTO, but in the mean time CTO responsibilities will be shared by three members of Ballard’s management team until a successor is named. Dr Charles Stone, who leads Ballard’s R&D activities, will take on added responsibility for technology planning. Dr Fred Flett will continue to be responsible for electric drive and power conversion product development, while Jim Sturek will assume responsibility for all fuel cell product development activities in Vancouver and Nabern, Germany. Each will report directly to president/CEO, Dennis Campbell, who is ‘confident that the experience and capabilities of our interim leadership team will provide a seamless transition.’ Nippon Oil field-testing kerosene-based hydrogen fuel cell Japan’s largest oil refiner, Nippon Oil Corporation, plans to start selling a newly developed kerosene-based hydrogen fuel cell in the retail market in 2006 for ¥2–3m (US$19 000– 28 000), according to a Dow Jones report from Tokyo. The company has apparently already supplied a 10 kWe pilot fuel cell to the New Energy Foundation, which expected to begin test operations during February at a convenience store in the Shinagawa district of Tokyo. Nippon Oil has developed technology to extract sulfur from kerosene and then produce hydrogen from the kerosene. The company jointly built the pilot 10 kWe fuel cell – which generates sufficient electricity to power a typical small or medium-sized commercial facility such as a restaurant or drugstore – with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Early last year Nippon Oil began testing six of its residential PEM fuel cell systems using reformed propane [FCB, March 2003]. The New Energy Foundation is coordinating the development of stationary fuel cell power systems among 11 or so major Japanese companies, including Matsushita Electric Industrial, Sanyo Electric, Toshiba, Ebara and Toyota Motor Corporation. The participants are committed to field testing fuel cells at more than 40 locations across Japan by March 2005. Meanwhile, Japan Energy Corporation – part of Tokyo-based Nippon Mining Holdings – will begin research this fiscal year on a 5 kWe residential fuel cell running on LPG. The company expects to complete the project in fiscal 2005, according to the Nikkei Business Daily.
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5