German fuel cell developers pool resources
Date: 26-Oct-01
Country: GERMANY
"The project partners believe that fuel cells after 2005 can find a market in the residential and industrial sectors and aim at anticipating this development through their joint fuel cell initiative," they said in a statement.
The founder members are Oldenburg based regional utility EWE, Mannheim city utility MVV and major gas importers and distributors Ruhrgas AG and VNG AG.
The group, which was open to new members, will carry out joint field trials and test runs to improve the technical basis, the marketing and contracting of fuel cell installations, the statement said.
The technology transforms gas into electricity through an electrochemical reaction without combustion.
It is an alternative power production method low in greenhouse gases emissions, but still requires financial support and government funding during the initial stages.
Giant utility RWE last month said it planned to launch its own small-scale combined heat and power (CHP) systems based on fuel cell technology by the end of 2004.
Apart from carbon-free power generation, fuel cell industries work on cars powered by the new technology.