New-Tech Europe | Sep 2017 | Digital Edition

utilizing important proof points and customer endorsements to validate its success. What have fuel cell manufacturers overcome to enable it to be a saleable, commercial technology? Over the years, many companies have spent significant amounts of time and money in trying to solve the two main barriers to fuel cell use, CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) and OPEX (Operating Expenditure). I can’t talk for others, but in our case, we worked very hard for six years to meet this challenge. We have succeeded in developing a number of patented solutions that have enabled us to reduce our CAPEX and OPEX costs, including the use of a non-platinum catalyst, as well as mechanisms for using plain air as an oxidizer and lower-cost industrial- grade hydrogen as a fuel. One of the key factors regarding the OPEX of fuel cells is related to the cost of hydrogen. While the production costs of hydrogen have been historically lower than gasoline or methane, the current cost of distribution makes it more expensive than gasoline or methane for commercial usage. Fortunately, the increased emphasis on sustainable energy and growing demand for hydrogen has led to the deployment of new hydrogen distribution systems in Japan, California and other US states that should eventually help resolve this issue. In addition, there are also new methods of hydrogen production that use wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric power to split water. The potential of the newer

GenCell non-platinum catalyst

expensive. For electricity providers and other utility companies, grid downtime is extremely expensive too - and not just to utilities. In 2015, grid failures cost an estimated USD 110 billion to the US economy. Are all fuel cell technologies applicable for thesemarkets or are there specialist applications for each? There are a wide range of fuel cells available on the market, and these are adapted to specific applications. Eachfuelcellhasitsdistinctadvantages. For instance, the technology most used in the auto/transport industry is PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) - a low-temperature fuel cell operating between 80-100 degrees Celsius. Thanks to their small size and light weight, PEM fuel cells are currently the first-choice energy source for a range of materials handling and plant hire applications such as forklifts trucks, portable lighting rigs and more. Others, like molten carbonate and solid oxide fuel cells, operate at 650 and 1000 degrees respectively and are used mainly for constant power in large utility applications. GenCell uses alkaline fuel cell (AFC) technology, another low-temperature

eco-friendly methods coupled with the new distribution channels, will help make hydrogen increasingly economical as new economies of scale are reached. Which markets and applications are most impacted by fuel cell technology? The possibilities for fuel cell applications are almost endless - just about anywhere you use energy - but there are already a few key markets where the technology is gaining significant adoption and maturity. These include the transport and automotive industries, industrial power generation and backup power for critical systems at utilities, telecoms and many more. Indeed, the challenges of aging electrical grids in many parts of our very connected world, makes a steady supply of electricity imperative. For many industries, the cost of business failure outweighs the cost of a business continuity solution. This is especially true at telecom providers where the business model is pay-per-use (talk). For them, network downtime causes a complete cessation of revenue and is extremely

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