Fuel Cell

Mechanical Technology Inc (MKTY) is scheduled to speak at the 2004 Fuel Cell Seminar at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas on Friday, November 5, 2004 at 9:35 a.m. (CDT). Dr. Gottesfeld will discuss MTI Micro's development and commercialization efforts for direct methanol micro-fuel cell power sources for hand held electronic devices. MTI Micro will also have a booth at the conference where concept models of a PDA/smart phone and a hand-held entertainment system integrating Mobion(TM) technology will be shown.

Hydrogenics Corp (HYGS) announced its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2004. "While 2004 proved to be a challenging year, we begin 2005 poised for significantly improved financial performance," stated Pierre Rivard, President and CEO of Hydrogenics. "To improve the performance of our test system business, we implemented changes in management and staffing levels, product design and business processes. We believe the acquisition of Stuart Energy reduces our risk profile, significantly expands our product offering, strengthens our global presence, and accelerates our pathway to profitability."

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc (QTWW) announced that it was awarded a United States patent for portable and transportable hydrogen refueling systems. Quantum's patent covers portable and transportable hydrogen refueling systems that incorporate self-contained hydrogen producing subsystems or accept low pressure hydrogen from external sources, and are capable of compressing and dispensing at either 5,000- or 10,000-psi (35 or 70 MPa). Transportable hydrogen refueling stations play a major role in developing a hydrogen refueling infrastructure, for both commercial and military applications.

Pacific Fuel Cell Corp (PFCE) announce that it has acquired rights to a new Methanol Resistant Cathodic Catalyst for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells and has filed a provisional patent in the name of the co-inventors, Professor Yushan Yan and Dr. Xin Wang. This new catalyst should eliminate the mixed potential problem at the cathode, and thus significantly increase the fuel cell efficiency.

Hoku Scientific, Inc. (HOKU) is a recent addition to my stock watchlist. HOKU designs and manufactures membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) and nonfluorinated membranes for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Basically they are developing the next generation of proton exchange membranes. They have strategic relationships with Sanyo Electric and Nissan Motors and are based in Hawaii. The company received some good news from some financial analysts this week and the company is up over 50% in the last two days. Piper Jaffray analyst Jesse Pichel said Hoku is one of the best-positioned component suppliers to the emerging...

Bloomberg.com has the following article on Ballard Power (BLDP) DaimlerChrysler AG and Ford Motor Co. agreed to invest $100 million in Ballard Power Systems Inc., the biggest maker of fuel cells for automobiles, and restructure their alliance with the money-losing company to speed up development of the alternative energy devices. In the article there is an interesting quote from Ballard's CEO. "We think we have a line of sight now to a commercial product in the early part of the next decade... There no question that fuel cells will replace piston engines."

Hydrogenics Corp (HYGS) announced two additions to its HyPM® product line at this week's 2004 Fuel Cell Seminar in San Antonio, Texas. The two additions are the HyPM 7 (kW) unit and the HyPM 65 (kW) unit, both with which the Company will strategically access additional early market opportunities that exhibit long-term potential, specifically in light mobility and backup power applications.

Mechanical Technology Inc (MKTY) announced an exclusive alliance with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., ("Samsung"), a technology innovator in the telecommunications industry, to develop next-generation fuel cell prototypes for Samsung's mobile phone business. Mobion®, MTI Micro's patented direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology, has been chosen to power a series of prototypes designed for Samsung's mobile phone and mobile phone accessories. Samsung is going to be committing up to $1 million in development money for the project and it marks a large step forward in the future development of the micro fuel cell marketplace. I also see this...

Fuelcell Energy Inc (FCEL) announced it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as a prime contractor of a third project team to develop a coal-based multi-megawatt solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system. The total project award for the 10-year, three-phase Fuel Cell Coal-Based System program is approximately $85 million. The project is subject to negotiation of a final agreement. The program's goal is to develop a multi-megawatt SOFC power system, 100 megawatts and larger, with at least 50 percent overall efficiency in converting energy contained in coal to grid electrical power. This compares to...

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT), Fuelcell Energy Inc (FCEL) and the city of Westerville, Ohio have reached an important milestone, bringing on-line one of the first utility-scale fuel cell power plants in North America that will feed power to consumers from a substation. The 250-kilowatt (kW) DFC power plant creates the hydrogen it needs from a readily available fuel, natural gas. The unit is manufactured by FuelCell Energy and distributed by Caterpillar through its dealer Ohio Cat. The fuel cell power plant is located at Westerville's electric substation #2, and when fully operational it will produce enough energy to...

Acting Undersecretary of Energy David K. Garman will speak at the World Renewable Energy Congress and Expo in Denver, CO on Monday, August 30, 2004to outline a program that will invest over $77 million in Hydrogen research projects around the country. These projects support President Bush's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, as outlined in the National Energy Policy. President Bush has called on DOE to pursue the promise of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to decrease America's dependence on foreign oil. These hydrogen research projects willrepresent another part of the President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative that adds to the recent...

Hydrogenics Corp (HYGS) announced it is supplying fuel cell power modules to American Power Conversion Corporation (APCC), a leading global supplier of high availability systems for network-critical physical infrastructure (NCPI), for its new InfraStruXure(TM) with Integrated Fuel Cells System.

Ballard Power (BLDP) announced it will demonstrate three distinct applications utilizing Ballard® fuel cells for backup power in cooperation with the Government of Canada under the h2 Early Adopters (h2EA) Program. The h2EA Program will fund Cdn. $2 million of the $4 million program with the balance of funding to be provided by the program participants. Field demonstrations such as this support the Canadian Government's aim to accelerate the development of a hydrogen economy by encouraging innovation, expanding industrial capacity, and meeting climate change objectives.

Magnetek Inc. (MAG) announced a reorganization of the Company's operating structure to accelerate growth in alternative energy markets. "Alternative energy products currently account for less than 5% of our quarter-billion-dollar annual revenue," said Magnetek chief executive Andrew Galef. "But that revenue has the potential to increase exponentially over the next few years, based on double-digit growth rates in alternative energy markets and proprietary power conversion products that we are now introducing for solar and wind power markets."

UPS on Thursday announced it was deploying three delivery vans that run on non-polluting hydrogen and fuel cells, and said it hopes to some day have zero-emission engines for its entire fleet of 88,000 vehicles. The three vans will be used in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Calif., and Ann Arbor, Mich. Once again, these Fuel Cell trucks are made by DaimlerChrysler AG (DCX) and are using Ballard Power (BLDP) for the cell stack.

Infectech Inc (IFEC) has signed a feasibility study with the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering of Gannon University in Erie, PA to develop a bioreactor which utilizes Infectech's patented bacterial culturing methods in order to produce hydrogen inexpensively. Infectech believes the most likely method for low cost production of massive quantities of hydrogen as an alternate energy source is hydrogen combustion using Clostridia bacteria, which produces hydrogen as a by-product. Infectech has ascertained through its patent counsel that there are eleven relevant U.S. patents concerning the database containing the terms "Clostridia" and "Hydrogen Production." Infectech presently owns...