Plug Power is also doing research with Los Alamos. The US Department of Energy is obviously interested in this technology.
Plug Power just sent a fc to Sandia National Labs for evaluation--see below.
PLUG POWER DELIVERS
STATE-OF-THE-ART FUEL CELL
SYSTEM TO SANDIA NATIONAL
LABORATORIES
3 Dec 1998
LATHAM, NY - Latham, NY - Plug Power LLC announced the delivery
of a state-of-the-art proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system to Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, Calif. This is the first Plug Power system to be tested outside the company.
The Plug Power unit is now being operated at Sandia National Laboratories for evaluation and demonstration purposes, as part of a US Department of Energy-sponsored program to further develop and deploy fuel cell technology.
The fuel cell contains a fully integrated stack, power inverter, controller and batteries. It is the same design as the 7 kW unit demonstrated in Latham since June, which is the world's first PEM fuel cell system to completely power a home.
“This delivery puts us one step closer to bringing our residential fuel cell unit to market,” said Gary Mittleman, President and CEO, Plug Power. “The successful operation of the 7 kW system at Sandia National Laboratories further establishes the technical integrity of Plug Power PEM fuel cells.”
With Department of Energy funding, Sandia National Laboratories
supports private sector efforts to develop PEM fuel cells for supplying electricity to isolated regions.
“PEM fuel cells offer clean, cost-effective, reliable electricity for rural areas where transmission and distribution of electricity from central stations is unfeasible or too costly,” added Mittleman. “When our residential fuel cells become commercially available, the benefits for people living in these isolated regions and for the environment will be dramatic.”
Plug Power's residential system technology is very appropriate for isolated areas without utility grid infrastructure, as it is designed for high electrical efficiency and reliability, with low operation and maintenance costs.
Fuel cells are also environmentally advantageous, as they operate at near zero emissions of particulate matter and other pollutants. This is because PEM fuel cells convert the chemical energy of hydrocarbon-based fuels and oxygen into electrical energy without combustion and without harmful combustion by-products. Plug Power has worked extensively with pure hydrogen fuel and is now demonstrating the conversion of other fuels into electricity using its PEM fuel cell system.
Since June of 1998, the company has operated the world's first fuel cell system to power a complete home. The residential system meets the
energy demands of a 3,000-square-foot house-even during peak
energy-use hours-without connection to a utility electrical distribution system. In parallel with its residential fuel cell program, Plug Power is developing highly innovative PEM fuel cell systems for automotive applications.
Based in Latham, NY, Plug Power is a joint venture between DTE Energy
Company (DTE), parent company of Michigan's largest utility and
Mechanical Technology Inc. (MKTY), an early developer of PEM fuel cell
technologies. Since it was formed in June 1997, Plug Power has grown
from 22 to more than 140 employees, making it the largest US PEM fuel
cell company. |
