20 March 2000

Another first: two joint presentations devoted to the subject of hydrogen and fuel cells:

- Technologies (Hall 18)

- Products and Services (Hall 8)

33 exhibitors from around the world document progress from research to practical utilization

Road vehicles running on hydrogen, fuel cells supplying electric power for mobile telephones and laptops, and fuel cells developed for NASA space shuttles: these are just some of the exhibits to be seen at the joint display stands devoted to "Hydrogen and Fuel Cells" at HANNOVER FAIR 2000 (20th - 25th March).

The joint presentations by 33 exhibiting firms from Germany, Europe and the USA at HANNOVER FAIR 2000 highlight a cross-section of projects in the field of hydrogen and fuel cell technology, ranging from applied research to successful examples of commercial exploitation. Each year since HANNOVER FAIR 95 a series of joint displays have documented the latest developments in hydrogen and fuel cell technology. This is the only display platform of its kind in the world, and it is the result of a collaboration between Deutsche Messe AG and Arno A. Evers FAIR-PR in Starnberg.

Continuing technical advances and the need to reduce CO₂ emissions are the driving force behind the worldwide development of new commercial applications for hydrogen and fuel cells. Scientists believe that hydrogen has a key role to play as a future source of clean, renewable energy for our planet. Fuel cells are used to convert hydrogen very efficiently into electric power and heat - and the process is totally pollution-free.

Joint presentation on hydrogen and fuel cells
Technologies, Hall 18

A group of 20 European firms and scientific institutions are presenting displays of their work at the "Innovations Market Research and Technology" in Hall 18. The exhibitors together with their chosen topics are outlined in brief below.

For the first time since 1995 Germany's largest industrial corporation, DaimlerChrysler AG, is once again exhibiting at the HANNOVER FAIR. The company's Fuel Cell Project Group is presenting the fuel cell concept study NECAR (New Electric Car). The vehicle's fuel tank is filled with methanol, with an on-board reformer that converts methanol into hydrogen. The chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel cell produces electrical energy to power the vehicle's electric motor. Fuel cell cars should be on sale by 2004. The joint display stand in Hall 18 will feature a full-size cutaway model of the NECAR based on a Mercedes-Benz A-Class. XCELLSIS GmbH, a new company based in Kirchheim/Teck-Nabern, was jointly set up in 1997 by DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Company in the USA and Ballard Power Systems in Canada to develop and manufacture a new type of power plant to replace the internal combustion engine in cars. Production and marketing are scheduled to begin in 2004. The new propulsion system relies on a "polymer electrolyte membrane" (PEM) fuel cell, which produces electricity from hydrogen to drive the car's electric motor. The fuel cell systems can be powered by either methanol or hydrogen.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg is displaying a mini-fuel cell for portable electronic equipment operating in the low-power range, with a high power-to-weight ratio of between 1 and 50 watts. This device allows laptops and camcorders to be operated without batteries. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems has been exhibiting regularly at the joint display stand since it was first introduced in 1995. The Baden-Württemberg Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) is presenting its own range of portable fuel cells, which are designed for substantial power outputs in everyday use. These fuel cells use hydrogen supplied from a hybrid accumulator which is mixed with oxygen from the air. At the Gerhard Mercator University in Duisburg the Department of Mechanical Engineering (special subject: Energy Technology) has also been working on the development of low-cost portable fuel cells aimed at a mass market. Typical applications include the supply of power for electronic devices such as CD players, laptops and other computers and portable electric power tools, as well as helping to supply the general electricity needs of other consumers.

PROTON MOTOR Fuel Cell GmbH (PM) from Starnberg develops and manufactures fuel cells and fuel cell stacks, together with elements and systems components. PM is currently working on systems with a power output of up to 60 kW, and has already produced a 30 kW fuel cell unit for use in cars and a larger 60 kW system for buses on local public transport routes. Another research organization, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, will present examples of its work such as combined energy supply-and-storage systems (PHOEBUS), a high-pressure electrolyser for the direct conversion of electricity into hydrogen and oxygen, and a highly efficient system of energy supply based on solid-oxide fuel cells.

Increased power output combined with lower manufacturing costs for fuel cells are the aims of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Stuttgart. Also featured at the stand in Hall 18 is the Institute for Industrial Thermodynamics, which is highlighting its work in the development of low-temperature fuel cells (PEFC and DMFC) along with further advances in high-temperature fuel cells (SOFC).

Another repeat exhibitor this year is Mannesmann Pilotentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH from Munich, which is presenting key products for the various mobile applications of fuel cell systems. These include peripheral modules, components and control units.

Also from Bavaria, but exhibiting this year for the first time, is the Technical University of Munich. The University's Department of Physics (special subject: Interfaces and Energy Conversion) is showcasing its work on CO-tolerant PEM fuel cells. This unique method for removing adsorbed carbon dioxide from the catalytic converter interface will help to improve the reliability of fuel cell systems and thus extend the range of their practical applications.

The EUHYFIS Working Party on Hydrogen Filling Stations will be presenting the first example of a pressurized hydrogen delivery system for the European market. The hydrogen is produced at the filling station and supplied to a pump, which is then used in the conventional way to fill the vehicle's fuel tank.

L-B Systemtechnik GmbH (LBST) is one of the original founder members of the joint display. LBST is the world leader in strategic consultancy for sustainable energy and transport concepts. Under the direction of its founder, Dr.-Ing. h.c. Ludwig Bölkow, the team at LBST offers various options for the supply of solar and hydrogen-based energy. Much of the company's current work focuses on alternative fuels and fuel cells. HyWeb, the hydrogen and fuel cell information system on the Internet (http://www.HyWeb.de), is operated by LBST and updated at regular intervals.

"Hydrogen is the fuel for the new millennium" is the proud boast of the German Hydrogen Association (DWV) in Berlin, which represents a number of leading German companies, but also has a substantial private membership. The DWV is working to promote hydrogen as a clean and sustainable medium for the storage of primary energy, and to secure its early adoption by the energy industry as part of a new environment-friendly energy strategy. The European Fuel Cell Group Ltd. from the Netherlands is supporting the introduction of fuel cells as a highly efficient and clean technology for producing heat and energy within Europe.

The French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA-CEREM) in Grenoble is represented for the first time at the joint display stand in Hall 18. This organization promotes work with hydrogen and fuel cells, develops PEMFC components and carries out research into hydrogen accumulator capacities.

The Netherlands Energy Research Foundation ECN is the largest independent organization engaged in energy research in the Netherlands. Its research effort is mainly concentrated in the area of renewable energy sources (solar, wind and biomass), under the motto "Working for the world's future". The ECN's subsidiary, InDEC Pilot Production B.V., is also contributing to the joint display as a manufacturer of electro-ceramic components, typically used in fuel cells, electro-catalytic reactors and in the form of ceramic membranes for the separation of gases. Current production capacity is currently in the range of 15,000 - 25,000 electro-ceramic components a year.

H-TEC GmbH, a German company based in Lübeck, has been exhibiting at the joint display in Hannover since 1995. H-TEC manufactures fuel cells for teaching and demonstration purposes, selling its systems to vocational training schools and other training establishments. This is a fast-growing market, and the company now exports its products all over the world to meet the demand. Heliocentris Energiesysteme GmbH, a young company in Berlin, is also a player in this market, producing teaching and training materials for the classroom and laboratory and developing new concepts for the use of fuel cells.

Joint presentation on hydrogen and fuel cells
Products and Services, Hall 8

The second joint presentation on hydrogen and fuel cells - Products and Services - is taking place for the first time in Hall 8, with the largest national contingent coming from the USA. A total of 13 exhibitors from five countries are contributing displays on a range of topics, including high-efficiency electrolysers for the production of hydrogen, commercial systems for supplying buildings with electric power and heat and mobile or portable applications, e.g. for mobile phones or laptops. The exhibitors together with their chosen topics are outlined in brief below.

Belgium is represented by Hydrogen Systems N.V., the market leader in its field, which is presenting an innovative concept for hydrogen production. The devices manufactured by the company are designed for an output of between 3 and 120 Nm³ per hour, and large numbers are already in service around the world. The company has also produced Europe's first hydrogen-powered city bus, which will be unveiled to the visiting international public at HANNOVER FAIR 2000.

The first hydrogen-powered taxi was shown for the first time at HANNOVER FAIR 99 by the British company ZeTek Power Plc. The first commercial sales of this vehicle were confirmed in December 1999, when an order was placed by the City of Westminster (London). In the meantime ZeTek Power has also developed a second-generation fuel cell that no longer has to be hand-built in the laboratory, but is specially designed for automated production methods. The new production process will be the subject of the company's presentation at HANNOVER FAIR 2000.

Switzerland's Sulzer-Burckhardt Engineering Works Ltd. is the world market leader in the manufacture of low-pressure and high-pressure hydrogen compressors. According to a company spokesman, the growing demand for hydrogen and the future introduction of fuel cells into the transport sector mean that hydrogen is very much the market of the future.

HGC Hamburg Gas Consult GmbH is setting new standards in the energy industry, having developed a fuel cell that is already supplying electricity and heating for hospitals, swimming baths, office buildings and other energy consumers in outlying districts. Heralding the future of decentralized energy supply for the individual household is HGC's domestic energy generator based on a PEM fuel cell, which can produce 3 kW of electric power and 8 kW of heat output. The company's display also highlights further possible applications in the area of biogas treatment.

H. Power Corp., based in Belleville, New Jersey, is the market leader in PEM fuel cells, a technology that was pioneered by this US company. Having developed the technology, the company has been vigorously proactive in commercializing and marketing fuel cells, and at this year's HANNOVER FAIR will be exhibiting its complete product range, with outputs ranging from 10 watts up to 3 kW. Typical applications include portable electrical and telecommunications equipment and the battery chargers that go with them. The larger units are designed to generate electric power for sensitive computer systems, road vehicles, etc., as well as providing backup power in the event of a mains power failure.

Another US exhibitor participating in the joint presentation is Hydrogen Burner Technology Inc. from Long Beach, California. This company will be presenting various applications of hydrogen as a fuel source for industry. The technology developed by Hydrogen Burner can be cost-effectively utilized in fuel cell systems of varying sizes.

SGL TECHNIK GmbH from Bavaria will be unveiling its new concepts for the mass production of carbon components for PEMFCs (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell). Gas diffusion layers and bipolar plates act as electrolytes to assist the functioning of the proton-conductive membrane.

Another German company, H. Seus GmbH & Co. Systemtechnik KG from Wilhelmshaven, is joining forces with two co-exhibitors from other countries: Proton Energy Systems Inc., from Rocky Hill, Connecticut, USA, and Diamond Lite SA from Switzerland. All three firms will be presenting hydrogen generators with PEM membranes at HANNOVER FAIR 2000 - a safe and reliable way of generating hydrogen at the point of use.

DCH Technology Inc. is yet another market leader featured in the joint presentation in Hannover. Hailing from Valencia, California, this US company develops and manufactures fuel cells together with a range of sensors for different applications. These sensors play an important role in the generation of hydrogen, where they are used for safety functions and for monitoring the reaction process at every stage. The "robust hydrogen sensor" is already being marketed commercially, and the company is aiming for annual sales of around $200 million.

The two subsidiaries of the US concern United Technologies Corporation - International Fuel Cells (IFC) and the ONSI Corporation based in South Windsor, Connecticut - are world market leaders in the production of commercial fuel cells. IFC builds the fuel cells for the NASA space shuttles, and is also developing fuel cell systems for the car industry. The ONSI Corporation has already supplied over 200 fuel cell systems to customers all over the world. Designed for stationary installation, these systems have already clocked up more than 3 million operating hours.

Further information for the press:

Please contact

Kristina Irmler
Tel.: +49 511/89-31018
Fax: +49 511/89-39695
E-mail: kristina.Irmler@messe.de

Arno A. Evers FAIR-PR
Tel.: +49 8151/99892-3
Fax: +49 8151/99892-43
E-mail: arno@fair-pr.de

Selected press releases together with photos can also be found on the Internet at: http://presse.messe.de. If you would also like to receive one of our press releases as a computer file, we will gladly send it to you by e-mail.