IdaTech Accelerates Fuel Cell Field Testing
BPA Authorizes IdaTech to Proceed With Beta Program
BEND, Ore., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- IdaTech, a subsidiary of IDACORP (NYSE: IDA - news), announced today it received official notice from the Bonneville Power Administration to proceed with the design and production of the first block of 50 beta fuel cell systems for testing in 2001. The announcement comes at the completion of three months of field-testing of IdaTech's patented alpha fuel cell system for residential applications.
``This marks the completion of another important technical milestone towards commercialization of our first fuel cell products in 2002,'' said Alan Guggenheim, president of IdaTech. ``With the achievement of this milestone, we are accelerating our field test program with BPA, and other customers.''
The objective of the BPA program is to identify improvements and features necessary to the commercialization of fuel cell systems for 1 kilowatt and 3 kilowatt applications in the home, business and consumer markets. IdaTech is testing methanol fuel cell systems at customers' sites this summer and will commence field testing natural gas, propane, diesel and kerosene units at remote locations with BPA, and other strategic alliance partners, in North America, Japan and Europe in 2001.
IdaTech and BPA testing this summer is being conducted at a variety of electric utility customer sites in the Pacific Northwest, including those of Central Electric Cooperative (CEC) in Redmond, Oregon, Consumer's Power Incorporated (CPI) in Philomath, Oregon; Oregon; Fergus Electric in Lewistown, Montana; Lincoln Electric in Eureka, Montana; and Energy Northwest in Richland, Washington, among others. The testing was conducted under a May, 1999, purchase agreement with BPA to purchase 110 IdaTech fuel cell systems, rated at 3 kilowatts, which is ample for a standard 2,000-square-foot home. BPA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy. The utilities involved in the approximately three years of field-testing include public utility districts and electric power cooperatives located in the Pacific Northwest.
``More and more of our customers today are looking for reliable power in remote, difficult to serve locations. We want to address the needs of our customers for flexible, cost-effective energy options,'' stated Kevin Watkins, vice president of engineering for Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative (PNGC), an association of electric utilities that is involved in this summer's test program. ``IdaTech's compact and mobile PEM fuel cell systems should provide an ideal solution once their testing phase is complete.''
Lincoln Electric is participating in the BPA program in order to identify solutions to energy problems in its service territory.
``The rocky terrain in Montana complicates underground power line installation, while lines installed above ground are limited by Forest Service fire hazard regulations,'' said Tim Engleson, Lincoln member services representative. ``We believe fuel cells will provide a solution to the dilemma of rural energy generation.''
Co-founded in 1996 in Bend, Oregon, by Alan Guggenheim, David J. Edlund, Ph.D. and William A. Pledger, P.E., IdaTech, LLC (formerly Northwest Power Systems) is committed to becoming a global leader in the development, manufacture and sale of small-scale fuel cell systems rated up to 10 kilowatts in generating power. Its patented fuel reformer converts conventional fuels into greater than 99.9% pure hydrogen, which the fuel cell system transforms into electricity to support residential power needs, consumer applications and businesses that require an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
IdaTech is majority owned by IDACORP Technologies, the clean-energy subsidiary of Boise-based IDACORP. For more information, please visit www.idatech.com or at www.idacorpinc.com
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