Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Ballard Power -world leader zero-emission PEM fuel cells -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hawkeye who wrote (4090)	4/21/1999 12:20:00 AM
From: Stephen O	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5827

Isn't that the 5th iteration of the same news story put out by 5 different news organisations or newspapers. I see that they run on pure hydrogen. Where are the compact reformers?

To: Hawkeye who wrote (4090)	4/23/1999 12:48:00 AM
From: Thomas Stewart	Respond to of 5827

A little OT: Fuel cells in home commercialized 2001. SoCalGas To Invest In Fuel Cell Developer Plug Power (Business Wire, 4/20/99) Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), a subsidiary of Sempra Energy and the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, today announced that it will invest $7.5 million in residential fuel cell developer Plug Power. "Fuel cells represent a promising technology to bring the benefits of distributed generation to the homeowner," said Lee Stewart, president of SoCalGas' Energy Transportation Services. "We are excited to be partnering with an aggressive, recognized leader such as Plug Power, who we believe will be successful in the development and commercialization of residential fuel cells. We hope to soon bring to market a fuel cell that will provide homeowners with an efficient, reliable and environmentally benign source of electricity and heat." Plug Power, with headquarters in Latham, is a privately held company whose investors include: DTE Energy Co., the parent of Detroit Edison, Michigan's largest electric utility; Mechanical Technology Inc., an early developer of fuel cell technologies; and General Electric. Since June of 1998, Plug Power has operated the world's first fuel cell-powered home with a system designed to provide the average-sized house with its total electricity needs, independent of the electric utility grid. Initial market launch of this 7-kilowatt system is planned for 2001, with distribution planned in the United States and overseas with General Electric, through GE Fuel Cell Systems. "As the largest local gas distributor in the country, SoCalGas has consistently demonstrated its ability as a leader in providing clean energy," said Gary Mittleman, Plug Power president and chief executive officer. "This agreement establishes a partnership between companies with a shared vision for the future of energy. We will bring clean and affordable energy into every home." The size of a dishwasher, residential fuel cells convert the energy of a fuel, such as natural gas, into useable electricity. Unlike traditional combustion technology power plants that emit elements causing smog and acid rain, fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical process from which no particulate matter, nitrogen oxides or sulfur oxides are produced. Furthermore, a significant percentage of heat produced by fuel cells can be captured and used to provide heating and hot water for the home. This nearly doubles a fuel cell's efficiency when compared to traditional power generation. Residential fuel cells can provide homeowners with lower overall energy costs. SoCalGas' investment in Plug Power represents its continued support for advanced technology, including fuel cells, said Stewart. SoCalGas has been involved in fuel cell research and development for 30 years, and sited the world's first commercially available fuel cell at the South Coast Air Quality Management District in Diamond Bar, Calif., in 1992. SoCalGas also supported fuel cell installations at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Riverside and Anaheim, Calif.; the Hyatt Hotel in Irvine, Calif.; the Santa Barbara Jail; the University of California at Santa Barbara; and Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, Calif. SoCalGas also is a founding member of the National Fuel Cell Research Center at the University of California at Irvine. The Center, established in 1998, helps form alliances and focus RD&D and educational efforts related to fuel cells for various market applications. Fuel cells are not new. The principle was first developed in 1839. NASA has used fuel cells to generate electricity in its spacecraft since the 1960s. However, large-scale production of fuel cell devices was, until recently, prohibited by the high cost of raw materials. These costs have dropped considerably in the last few years, making commercialization feasible.