October 2011

Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Fuel Cell Advantage, where you’ll find the latest on how we are putting fuel cells to work in commercial applications everyday.

In this issue: 
• Introducing our award-winning distributed generation solution
• Q&A with Larry Stapleton, VP Sales, on Ballard's value added solutions
• Industry spotlight video
• An update on Ballard’s manufacturing space optimization
• Recent Ballard product installations
• Latest news & upcoming events

Ballard CLEARgen™ Fuel Cell System Wins Innovation Award, Seen As Leader in DG Market

Ballard is the recipient of Frost & Sullivan’s “2011 New Product Innovation Award” in the North American Stationary Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell category for the Company’s unique CLEARgen™ multi-megawatt distributed power generation system.

“This award recognizes Ballard’s technological leadership and strong market position in the commercialization of PEM fuel cells for distributed energy generation,” said Tomasz Kaminski, Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst. “Ballard’s solution surpasses the competition in terms of fuel cell durability, product cost and load-following capability, all keys to commercially viable grid-scale solutions.”

Read the full report published by Frost & Sullivan at www.ballard.com.

Ballard's Value Added Solutions
 – Q&A with Larry Stapleton, Vice President - Sales

Who’s buying fuel cells? What’s driving purchase decisions?

We’re seeing a clear trend in the continued growth of commercial deployments, with material handling equipment and backup power for telecom leading the way. These industries are purchasing fuel cell products on the strength of the value proposition – both environmental and economic. There are over 1,200 fuel cell powered lift trucks operating with Ballard stacks in distribution centres throughout the US, with companies such as Walmart, Coca Cola and FedEx. Wireless network operators have installed fuel cell backup power systems powered by Ballard fuel cells at over 600 sites.

What type of ROI can a warehouse operator expect? 

Companies using fuel cell forklifts are reporting significant benefits and generally seeing payback on their investment in less than a year.

BMW, for example, has deployed a fleet of more than 85 Plug Power GenDrive® forklift trucks with Ballard fuel cells in its automotive manufacturing plant in upstate South Carolina. The project avoids 1.8 million kilowatt-hours per year of electricity consumption otherwise needed to charge batteries, offsetting about 1,200 tons per year of CO2 emissions.

Industry Spotlight

British Columbia is headquarters to Ballard and a recognized world centre for developing and using hydrogen and fuel cells as a clean energy solution. Products are being tested and used commercially in materials handling, backup power, portable electronics, fuelling infrastructure and transit bus applications. Find out more about B.C.’s hydrogen fuel cell competitive advantages and what makes the province one of the world's leading places to do business.

 
Click here to view online

Production News

Ballard Completes Optimization of Production Space

Ballard has consolidated and optimized our product development, testing and production space at our Canadian manufacturing facilities, leasing excess floorspace to Daimler AG. Surplus space was created as a result of Ballard’s progress in implementing automated and continuous manufacturing processes. With the Daimler sub-lease, we expect annual savings of approximately $1 million in real estate and related overhead costs. Ballard is able to produce 100MW of fuel cell product annually in this smaller footprint, seeing us through 2013 with no further investment in manufacturing capacity. read more 

Recent Deployments

More than 100MW of Ballard fuel cell stacks, modules & systems have powered clean energy solutions for customers in a variety of countries on five continents. A few recent deployments follow.

Kroger Co. Selects Fuel Cell Forklifts for Food Distribution Centre

Plug Power Inc. has added Kroger Co. to its growing list of GenDrive customers. Kroger tested the GenDrive product and saw clear benefits to its operations which led them to a full conversion of their fleet of 161 electric forklifts. Ballard is the exclusive supplier of fuel cell stacks for use in Plug Power Inc.’s line of GenDrive hydrogen fuel cell systems. read more

Transport for London Going Green with Fuel Cell Buses

London’s iconic red double-decker buses are going green with fuel cells. The city has introduced a fleet of eight vehicles fuelled entirely by hydrogen and emitting zero-emissions. The buses, powered by Ballard’s FCvelocity™-HD6 fuel cell power module, operate in regular service on the city routes, cutting pollution and making for a smoother, quieter ride for passengers. view now