ENrG Inc in upstate New York, which specializes in the design, development and manufacture of ceramic components, is working with the University of South Carolina’s college of engineering & computing and NASA’s Glenn Research Center (GRC) on the fabrication, testing and analysis of new SOFC designs.
31 March, 2009
Sentec, a UK-based product development company with a particular focus on energy management and metering, has posed the question “What will be the impact of the smart grid on the US clean tech industry?”
30 March, 2009
A consortium led by Waste2Tricity Ltd has submitted an expression of interest to the London Waste & Recycling Board (LWRB) to convert the city’s waste into energy.
27 March, 2009
In the UK, standby power systems provider UPS Systems has supplied fuel cells for two projects – a telemetry installation in the Elan Valley in Powys, Mid Wales, and a demonstration unit being run by Islington Borough Council in London.
27 March, 2009
In the US, Rochester Institute of Technology and Delphi Corporation have secured $2.4 million in federal funding in fiscal 2009 appropriations for joint efforts to develop a cost-effective method to manufacture fuel cell auxiliary power units. With this initiative, project researchers believe Delphi’s work may lead to the first commercially produced solid oxide fuel cell being launched as early as 2012.
26 March, 2009
Research at Imperial College in the UK is trying to map the inner workings of a fuel cell using sensors. The understanding and data being obtained by chemist Dr Anthony Kucernak could be used in the future to make these devices more efficient and last longer.
25 March, 2009
The UK’s national postal service, the Royal Mail, has embarked on a project to pioneer the development of fuel cell postal vans.
25 March, 2009
UPS Systems plc is supplying a methanol fuel cell to Islington Borough Council, London, UK, for use in its demonstration project promoting the benefits of clean energy technology.
25 March, 2009
Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies is introducing hands-on science experiment kits for educational purposes, including small wind-turbines, solar panels and zero emission vehicle construction sets.
25 March, 2009
Ambitious plans to promote the use of electric and hydrogen powered cars have been published in Denmark by the country’s Conservative People’s Party and the Municipality of Copenhagen.
24 March, 2009
The northern German city of Hamburg has started a major project with Daimler, Shell, Total and Vattenfall Europe that aims to increase the use of emission-free vehicles, including ones powered by fuel cells, and to create a corresponding infrastructure of hydrogen fueling stations.
24 March, 2009
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in upstate New York have won a federal grant worth $1.6 million, to develop new and improved methods of manufacturing the key component of a fuel cell – the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA).
24 March, 2009
The California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) has released an action plan that details a strategy for deploying hydrogen fueling stations and fuel cell vehicles in California. The document, 'Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and station deployment plan: A strategy for meeting the challenge ahead', specifies the steps needed to meet the fuel needs of 4300 passenger vehicles and 20 fuel cell buses in California by 2014, and prepares for even more growth though to 2017.
24 March, 2009
UK-based Ceres Power has secured a long leasehold on a facility in south-east England, which will be used for manufacturing its intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells.
23 March, 2009
Linde North America, a member of industrial gases and engineering company Linde Group, is introducing fueling technology for hydrogen-powered vehicles to the US and Canada which, it claims, is safe, fast and efficient.
23 March, 2009
The International scientific congress Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions has voiced the possibility of 40% of the world’s power coming from renewable energy by 2050 with adequate financial and political support.
20 March, 2009
German-based SFC Smart Fuel Cell, a major supplier of fuel cell products for mobile and off-grid power applications, has received a purchase order from automotive giant Volkswagen for more than 200 fuel cell systems. The contract, which is to be fulfilled during 2009, is worth around €630,000.
20 March, 2009
An ultralight aircraft that is propelled exclusively by hydrogen energy, without supplementary power supplied by batteries, was on show in Friedrichshafen, Germany at the recent ‘e-Flight Expo 2009’ – a new part of the annual AERO International Aviation Trade Show that is dedicated to environmentally friendly flight.
18 March, 2009
US-based Protonex Technology is to develop a robust, deployable pre-production fuel cell power system, designed for powering a small, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of extended flight duration and mission endurance.
18 March, 2009
Scientists at Brown University in Rhode Island, USA say they have overcome the challenges associated with using palladium catalysts in fuel cell reactions.
17 March, 2009
ECOtality Inc has entered into a commitment with Nissan North America and Pima Association of Governments (PAG) to facilitate the establishment of electric vehicle (EV) charge infrastructure throughout Pima County, Arizona, USA.
17 March, 2009
Solar Millennium LLC, NV Energy and MAN Ferrostaal Inc, the joint venture partner of Solar Millennium AG for the construction of solar thermal power plants in the USA, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint development of projects in the Amargosa Desert.
16 March, 2009
The creation of long platinum nanowires at the University of Rochester in upstate New York could lead to the development of nanowire-enhanced fuel cells to power vehicles, for example. The nanowires should provide significant increases in both longevity and efficiency of fuel cells.
11 March, 2009
German-based Baxi Innotech launched its Gamma 1.0 fuel cell heating unit at the recent ISH Trade Fair in Frankfurt. The European developer and manufacturer of fuel cell micro combined heat and power (mCHP) systems has also entered into a three-year supply agreement with Canada’s Ballard Power Systems, which will supply the PEM fuel cells.
11 March, 2009
Michigan-based Adaptive Materials Inc (AMI) recently delivered five 25 W solid oxide fuel cell units to the Dominican Republic, for use in a medical readiness training exercise (MEDRETE). The AMI portable fuel cell systems provided reliable and critical power to infrastructure throughout the exercise.
10 March, 2009
New York-based fuel cell manufacturer Medis Technologies has announced that, consistent with its recent appointment of Tom Finn as executive vice president of operational restructuring, it has initiated a comprehensive cost rationalization plan designed to reduce operating costs and enhance operational efficiencies.
10 March, 2009
Massachusetts-based Nuvera Fuel Cells has introduced the new PowerEdge™ line of hybrid fuel cell products, to replace standard lead-acid batteries in forklift trucks used in the materials handling industry.
10 March, 2009
A cooperation agreement between the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative (JTI), a public-private venture aimed at delivering commercially viable hydrogen energy and fuel cell technologies, has been approved by the JTI Governing Board.
09 March, 2009
Ontario, Canada, is proposing sweeping new legislation to attract new investment, create new ‘green economy jobs’ and better protect the climate.
09 March, 2009
Telecoms backup fuel cell systems supplier IdaTech reports that its planned international expansion in the Asia-Pacific region is moving ahead apace. The firm has now opened a new regional sales office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to support the Asia-Pacific region. It has also signed two partnership agreements for marketing and distribution in the area, and completed a successful two-month installation trial in Malaysia with TIME dotCom.
09 March, 2009
Scientists in Japan have developed a small, high-power, intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) module that is no larger than a sugar cube.
09 March, 2009
Bureau Veritas, a French organization that helps companies comply with standards and regulations, is developing a set of comprehensive guidelines covering the safe use of fuel cells on board ships.
06 March, 2009
In his first address to the Joint Session of Congress on 24 February, US President Barack Obama called on the USA to take a lead on renewable and clean energy.
06 March, 2009
In the US, BNSF Railway Company is building an experimental shunting train locomotive powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The engine, which is being assembled at the company’s workshop in Topeka, Kansas, will serve as a test bed for reducing diesel fuel used by North America’s railway.
06 March, 2009
Massachusetts-based Protonex Technology has received confirmation of a contract award from the US Army, worth more than $1.4 million, to adapt its solid oxide fuel cell power systems so that they will run on alternative fuels.
05 March, 2009
The use of a carcinogenic material in solid oxide fuel cells could threaten the future development of this so-called clean technology, claim researchers at Loughborough University in the UK. Despite its potential to deliver power with near-zero emissions of some greenhouse gases, the rapidly developing SOFC business is threatened by the fact that the cells use anodes containing nickel oxide – a powerful carcinogen.
05 March, 2009
ACAL Energy Ltd has received investment from Japanese trading company Sumitomo Corporation, which together with a previous £3.3 million fundraising round will help fund the next stage of development of ACAL’s low cost fuel cell systems, based on platinum-free cathode technology.
03 March, 2009
California-based Viaspace has completed a second development contract, under which it delivered a high-reliability, standard methanol cartridge to Korean consumer electronics and appliances giant Samsung.
02 March, 2009