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German P21 Receives 6 Million Euros Investment

Fuel cell company P21 GmbH concluded its first round of institutional financing today in the amount of 6 million euros. The investment comes from an international consortium of venture capital investors. The lead investor is the British firm Conduit Ventures Ltd. Based in London, it specializes in investments in the sector of fuel cells and hydrogen technology. Other investment partners include Target Partners (Munich) and TechFund Capital Europe and its associated funds CDC Ixis Innovation (Paris). In 2002, P21 secured seed financing of 1.3 million euros from a private investor (Eberhard Frber, founder of PCS and IXOS Software AG) and tbg of Bonn. P21 plans to use the capital to launch its fuel cell system for emergency power supply in the growing market of uninterruptible power supply (UPS), especially for mobile communication base stations, which used to get emergency power exclusively from battery and generator solutions. John Butt, Managing Partner at Conduit Ventures, adds, "Conduit Ventures has gone to great lengths to find the best investments in emergency power supply systems based on fuel cells, and we were impressed by the unique technology, top-class technical expertise, and qualified management team at P21. Its UPS fuel cell system has the potential […]

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Hydrogenics Receives Funding for Fuel Cell Forklift Truck

Hydrogenics Corporation (Nasdaq: HYGS; TSX: HYG), a designer and manufacturer of hydrogen and fuel cell systems, is receiving C$1.56-million contribution from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) for a development and demonstration project of fuel cell-powered forklifts. The project will include Class I sit-rider electric forklifts incorporating hydrogen storage, and a refueling station. The potential customer base for Class I forklifts are companies running multi-shift fleet operations, such as many in the automotive and transportation sectors. Forklift fleets are an important market for hydrogen power. Off-road vehicles, including forklifts and other industrial vehicles, contribute nearly 13 per cent of the global total of transportation-related greenhouse gases. Hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklifts are ideal for indoor facilities because they produce no exhaust emissions, and they have significant advantages over traditional battery-powered forklifts. SDTC's contribution has been leveraged by a $1.98 million funding commitment from a consortium that is led by Hydrogenics. The consortium members include Deere & Company, FedEx Canada, General Motors of Canada, NACCO Materials Handling Group and the Canadian Transportation Fuel Cell Alliance. The total project is estimated to cost approximately $3.54 million. The project involves outfitting two Class I sit-rider electric forklifts manufactured by NACCO Materials Handling Group with fuel […]

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Cellex Receives Cnd$2 Million to Develop Fuel Cell Fork-Lift

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)is contributing C$2 million for a Cellex Power's development and demonstration project. Hydrogen fuel cells will power Class 3 fork-lift trucks, used in warehouses for food distribution, and retail. Off-road vehicles, including fork-lifts, generate almost 13% of transportation-related green house gases. "Investment in companies such as Cellex is an important part of helping accelerate the reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, as well as the reduction of criteria air contaminants," said the Honourable David Anderson, Minister of the Environment. Said Vicky J. Sharpe, SDTC's President and CEO, "Our strategic support is enabling technology entrepreneurs to accelerate development of their groundbreaking clean technologies, connect with partners at all points of the supply chain, validate their business plans and get to market faster." SDTC's contribution has been leveraged by $7 M (CDN) from a consortium that is lead by Cellex. Project consortia members include fork-lift dealer, Arpac Storage Systems Corporation and Fuel Cells Canada. In the consortium, Arpac will provide expertise in distribution, data collection and field demonstrations. Fuel Cells Canada will liaise with government and regulatory agencies on codes and standards to govern product quality and safety. The project will run until […]

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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:March 31, 2004

*News and Events DOE Partnerships to Develop Wind Turbines for Low Wind Speeds DOE and Ford Motor Company Host the SUVs of the Future Minnesota and Wisconsin Seek 300 Megawatts of Renewable Power Arizona Utility Builds a 1-Megawatt Solar Trough Plant Utah Power Installs Innovative Battery Energy Storage System Two Companies Break Records with New Superconducting Wires DOE Partnerships to Develop Wind Turbines for Low Wind SpeedsDOE intends to expand the use of wind power in the United States, and sees significant potential in areas with wind speeds that are too low to tap economically with today’s wind turbinesareas with average annual wind speeds of about 13 miles per hour. To allow wind power projects in these areas, DOE is establishing 21 partnerships with public and private entities to develop low-wind-speed wind turbines. The program includes conceptual design studies and the development of both turbine components and complete wind turbines, and DOE expects the total investment in the partnerships to total $60 million over the next four years. DOE announced the partnerships on Monday at the wind industry’s Global Windpower 2004 Conference in Chicago. See the DOE press release.The wind energy resources that DOE intends to capture through the new […]

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Germany Says GMOs in Restaurant Food Must Be Labeled; Bayer Pulls Out in UK

Reuters reports that restaurant and canteen food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) must be clearly marked when new rules on GMO labelling take effect in April. On April 18 new European Union rules require food sold in retail venues must be labelled if it contains GMOs. Animal feed sold to farmers also has to be labelled. The German Agriculture and Consumer Protection Minister Alexander Mueller said in a statement, that the ministry has completed talks with German state authorities, responsible for food inspections, and food industry associations to achieve a smooth implementation of the new regulations. "It is now the responsibility of the private sector to fulfill its labelling responsibilities," he added. He expects state authorities to increase food inspections from April 18. In other news, Reuters reports that UK green groups hailed Bayer's (XETRA:BAYG.DE) decision to shelve plans to sell genetically modified (GMO)maize to farmers in Britain because of tight government restrictions. "GM maize had serious question marks about its safety and performance and should never have been given UK approval," Friends of the Earth campaigner Pete Riley said in a statement after Bayer announced its decision. The UK government had given Bayer limited approval for its Chardon LL […]

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Hundreds of Major Facilities Violating Clean Water Act

Analysis of data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finds more than 60 percent of industrial and municipal facilities across the country exceeded their Clean Water Act permit limits at least once between January 2002 and June 2003 – and did so by an average of six times their legal limits. The data on facilities' compliance with the Clean Water Act was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and released Tuesday by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). Nationally, 436 major facilities exceeded their Clean Water Act permit limits for at least 10 of the 18 reporting periods between January 1, 2002 and June 30, 2003. Thirty-five facilities exceeded their Clean Water Act permits during every reporting period between January 1, 2002 and June 30, 2003. U.S. PIRG environmental advocate Richard Caplan says the findings are an indictment of the Bush administration's disinterest in enforcing one of the nation's most important environmental laws. "We need strong action to address this illegal pollution, but the Bush administration has instead proposed slashing the Environmental Protection Agency's enforcement budget and weakening critical Clean Water Act programs," Caplan said. Caplan added that the report's findings are likely conservative, since the data […]

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