DCHT sells fuel cell system to new partner NortWest Power Systems, a division of NYSE: IDA, as part of a $ 3,500,000 order from Bonneville Power Authority,
the-signal.com
Partnering with NW Power, a division of NYSE: IDA is a major
development for DCHT
Two stand out quotes from my perspective is this one,
According to Alan Guggenheim, president of Northwest Power,
"This purchase from DCH Technology is strategic to the
integration of our proprietary fuel processor with fuel cells from
as many different manufacturers as possible. Our objective is to
test approximately 25 small-scale, experimental prototype fuel cell
systems the next 12 months, and more than 150 the next three
years."
And this one,
DCH is on track to sell more fuel cell systems to Northwest Power
if the first one "meets the quality criteria," Walker said. So far only
one competitor, De Nora, S.p.A. of Milan, Italy, is providing
similar fuel cells to Northwest Power, Walker said.
Pretty darn good for a company "about to go under", wouldn't you
say?
DCHT's puny market cap is beginning to scream undervalued, and
IMO, will eventually be heard by the right people. Their ability to
compete and win in the larger FC arena is now beginning to make
itself known.
the-signal.com
By Leon Worden,
Signal Business Editor Wednesday, July 21, 1999
Hydrogen fuel cells designed in Valencia could provide power to
homes in the Pacific Northwest one day, if everything tests out
right.
Northwest Power Systems of Bend, Ore., announced Monday that
it has purchased a 3-kilowatt fuel cell system from DCH
Technology, Inc. of Valencia.
The system incorporates Northwest Power's patented fuel
processor, which generates pure hydrogen that a fuel cell, such as
the one manufactured by DCH, needs to produce electricity.
Northwest Power has a $3.5 million contract with the Bonneville
Power Administration (BPA) to provide 110 fuel cell units over
the next four years. BPA is a federal power marketing agency
within the U.S. Dept. of Energy that supplies about half the power
to Oregon, Washington, Idaho and western Montana.
According to Alan Guggenheim, president of Northwest Power,
"This purchase from DCH Technology is strategic to the
integration of our proprietary fuel processor with fuel cells from
as many different manufacturers as possible. Our objective is to
test approximately 25 small-scale, experimental prototype fuel cell
systems the next 12 months, and more than 150 the next three
years."
DCH is in the business of marketing hydrogen-based technologies
developed by national laboratories such as Los Alamos and
Sandia, and while the company is perhaps better known for
manufacturing hydrogen leak detectors,
DCH was recently chosen by the Dept. of Energy to take the lead
in a study to determine the feasibility of using hydrogen power on
naval vessels.
Company president David Walker said the fuel cell used in the
system purchased by Northwest Power is a modified form of a
proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell developed by energy
department scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The
principle is the same, in that electrons are stripped from hydrogen
and sent through a circuit
to produce electricity.
But unlike smaller PEM fuel cells, which generate about 1 kilowatt
of electricity, the cell purchased by Northwest Power uses
reformed methanol or propane to produce 3 kilowatts of power.
"It's still very clean energy," Walker said.
For Northwest Power, DCH personnel in the Valencia Industrial
Center will manufacture the electronic controls, cooling system
and other hardware, which will be integrated with the fuel cell at
DCH's plant in Wisconsin.
DCH is on track to sell more fuel cell systems to Northwest Power
if the first one "meets the quality criteria," Walker said. So far only
one competitor, De Nora, S.p.A. of Milan, Italy, is providing
similar fuel cells to Northwest Power, Walker said.
Hydrogen fuel cells are not new- they were invented in 1839 and
used to power the
Gemini and Apollo spacecraft- but they were not practical for
many applications until the
last few years, when scientists at Los Alamos developed lighter,
less expensive versions.
DCH holds a cooperative research agreement and an exclusive
license agreement with Los
Alamos to develop and market the "air-breathing proton-exchange
membrane fuel cell."
the-signal.com
DCH Technology, Inc.
dcht.com
Email DCHTinfo@aol.com |
