NEWS

January 2013 Fuel Cells Bulletin9

Acta signs electrolyser distribution deal with MVS for India market

Italian-based Acta SpA has signed a Letter of Intent with MVS

Engineering Ltd, India’s largest supplier of industrial gas equipment and solutions, for the distribution of Acta’s electrolysers in India through MVS Energy Solutions.

MVS specialises in onsite gas solutions for nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen, with gas generation equipment supplied to more than 56 countries. The company is forming a new division, MVS Energy Solutions, to address the growing need in the Indian market for backup power solutions. India is one of the world’s largest markets for backup power systems, including the telecoms market, because of the limited and fragile nature of the country’s electricity grid.

‘We see great opportunities in the Indian backup power market,’ says Siddharth Rastogi, executive director of MVS. ‘MVS Energy Solutions has been formed to offer complete end-to-end solutions for hydrogen-centric backup power, and Acta’s innovative and low-cost hydrogen generators range will be a core component at the heart of our solutions.’

Acta and MVS Energy intend to sign a distribution contract early in 2013, when local administrative procedures have been completed, for the distribution of Acta’s electrolysers and related products into the Indian market. The objective of the partnership is to allow the introduction of on- and offgrid integrated fuel cell backup power solutions based on onsite hydrogen generation.

In other news, Acta has recently raised £2.1 million (US$3.4 million, before expenses) via an institutional placing, which will be used to finance the working capital requirements of the company’s current commercial expansion with existing customers and new commercial partners around the world.

Acta’s product line includes compact electrolysers which produce pure, dry, compressed hydrogen, targetting markets with high-volume demand for high-value environmental solutions, such as transport, backup power, energy, and leisure [see the Acta feature in FCB, September 2012]. It recently signed deals to supply electrolysers to FutureE Fuel Cell Solutions [FCB, December 2012, p3] and Heliocentris Energy Solutions in Germany, as well as additional orders from M-Field Energy in Taiwan for electrolysers for the telecoms market [FCB, November 2012, p7].

MVS Engineering is India’s largest manufacturer of gaseous nitrogen and hydrogen generators, utilising technologies including water electrolysis, ammonia cracking, steam methane reforming, methanol cracking, and biogas purification. The company has tie-ups with PEM electrolyser manufacturer Proton Onsite and hydrogen purifier specialist Hy9 in the US.

Acta SpA, Crespina, Pisa, Italy. Tel: +39 050 644281, www.actagroup.it

MVS Engineering Ltd: www.mvsengg.com

AFC wins funding for Alkammonia project, gains Diverse Energy

UK-based AFC Energy has been awarded a European Union grant

of up to E1.96 million (US$2.6 million) for the launch of the Alkammonia project, to develop ammonia-fed alkaline fuel cell systems. AFC has also acquired certain assets of near-neighbour Diverse Energy Ltd, which has been developing a telecom power system that combines a fuel cell with an ammonia cracker.

The EU grant is being funded by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), and will provide project coordinator AFC Energy and its European project partners with three years’ financial support for the development of ammonia-fed alkaline fuel cells. The grant is expected to be in place to enable the project to commence in March.

The key to the wide deployment of AFC Energy’s systems will be their ability to use many different energy feedstocks [see the feature on AFC Energy in FCB, November 2011]. Ammonia has a high energy density, and can be easily converted to hydrogen to power AFC’s fuel cells by heating it in the presence of a catalyst (known as ‘cracking’).

Lab-based trials at AFC Energy have recently confirmed that alkaline fuel cells can tolerate ammonia traces in the fuel stream. These tests showed that power systems which integrate ammonia with alkaline fuel cells do not require an expensive cleanup process. Ammonia-fuelled systems are suitable for industrial and small-scale backup and offgrid power solutions.

The project partners include Italian-based electrolyser manufacturer Acta SpA, which will provide an ammonia cracking reactor and non-precious metal catalysts. Acta has previously been engaged in grant-funded and joint development projects to develop ammonia-cracking catalysts for automotive applications.

AFC Energy has also announced the acquisition of certain assets from Diverse Energy Ltd, including equipment and intellectual property. Diverse Energy has been developing small-scale, ammonia-fed PEM fuel cell systems for the cellphone mast power market, specifically in Africa [FCB, September 2012, p3]. AFC expects to use the equipment, knowledge, and systems understanding developed by Diverse Energy to accelerate its own market introduction of ammonia-fed alkaline fuel cell systems.

‘These developments will extend our technology portfolio, expand our product offering, and help to broaden our addressable market,’ says Ian Williamson, CEO of AFC. ‘We believe the ammonia tolerance we have will put our fuel cell system in a very favourable position to be more commercial using this feedstock than its competitors.’

AFC Energy was recently awarded an EU grant of up to E6 million (US$7.8 million) – also through the FCH JU – for the installation of the world’s largest alkaline fuel cell power generation system, at the Industrial Chemicals Ltd chlor-alkali chemical plant in Essex [FCB, December 2012, p5]. And last summer AFC inaugurated an alkaline fuel cell pilot production plant at its base in Surrey, able to produce up to 20 000 fuel cell electrodes per annum [FCB, September 2012, p9].

AFC Energy, Cranleigh, Surrey, UK. Tel: +44 1483 276726, www.afcenergy.com

European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch-ju.eu

Acta SpA: www.actagroup.it

Diverse Energy Ltd: www.diverse-energy.com

FuelCell Energy takes full control of Versa Power Systems

Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy has acquired the remaining

shares of Versa Power Systems, the solid oxide fuel cell developer with research facilities in Colorado, USA and Calgary, Canada. The addition of SOFC technology strengthens the global leadership position of FuelCell Energy, whose main focus is on large-scale molten carbonate fuel cell power plants.

‘We view solid oxide fuel cell technology as complementary to our carbonate fuel cell product line as we target MW and multi-MW applications with our Direct FuelCell® power plants, and are attracted to solid oxide for future sub-MW power generation and storage