Dale Pond kindly shared this information about a company who is almost
ready to put their fuel cells on the market. They run on hydrogen that
can be produced from water, check out the site
Plug Power was originally formed as a joint venture between DTE Energy
Co., (the parent of Detroit Edison and Michigan's largest electric
utility), and Mechanical Technology Inc.or MTI (an early developer of
fuel cell technologies).
In 1999, General Electric and Southern California Gas Company, a
subsidiary of Sempra Energy joined as equity holders in the company. Our
goal is to develop and manufacture affordable fuel cell systems for
residential, small commercial and automotive applications.
Plug Power is the largest PEM fuel cell development company in the US,
and we have the resources, desire and determination to be the best. The
company was
formed in June 1997 with 22 people and $9 million in funding. Since that
date, our employee base has grown to more than 260 employees, and we
have also received a $15 million award from the US Department of Energy
(DOE).
This is the single largest award ever granted for automotive fuel cell
research. Three months after receiving this award, Plug Power, along
with the DOE, its Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Arthur D. Little,
was first (and to our knowledge is still the only) team to demonstrate a
gasoline to electricity fuel cell (see Press Releases).
The fuel cell used in this test continues to perform extremely well in
our laboratory today, and in May 1999 we demonstrated a high efficiency,
low emission integrated automotive fuel cell system.
Along with our automotive achievements, Plug Power has a strong
residential
development program. In June of 1998, we introduced the world's first
fuel cell
powered home using our prototype system, the Plug Power 7000.
This system has been designed to provide the average-sized house
(3,000-4,000 sq. ft) with its total electricity needs, independent of
the utility grid. Commercial production of this system is planned for
2001. (see Press Releases)
Plug Power is a leader in the race to become the first company to build
one million fuel cell systems. In order to win this race, we are
bringing together a team of specialists in the areas of fuel processing,
fuel cell stack design, battery design and other key components of the
system.
We also plan to create strategic partnerships with other relevant
organizations, including utilities, distributors and other
manufacturers.
In February of 1999, Plug Power and GE Power Systems formed GE Fuel Cell
Systems. This joint venture will sell, install and service Plug
Power-designed
and manufactured systems on a worldwide basis. (see Press Releases)
As many as 25 million households in the United States alone will be able
to benefit from fuel cell power generation. This figure is based on a
variety of criteria, including geographic location and current cost of
electricity. As the technology continues to develop and market forces
evolve , this number will rise significantly.
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They have an interesting design on their site, hard to believe they
aren't for real if General Electric is backing them.
-- Jerry Wayne Decker / jdecker@keelynet.com http://keelynet.com / "From an Art to a Science" Voice : (214) 324-8741 / FAX : (214) 324-3501 KeelyNet - PO BOX 870716 - Mesquite - Republic of Texas - 75187