Ballard Power Systems to deliver 102 fuel-cell power-generation systems

Ballard Power Systems has received purchase orders for 102 fuel-cell power-generation systems to be delivered to its new Southeast Asian distributor, Cascadiant. The systems will be used in the networks of two wireless telecom customers in Indonesia, to provide reliable and cost-effective backup power in the event of grid outages. Last month Ballard acquired the select assets of IdaTech, a Ballard customer of several years. The assets included product lines, distributor agreements (among them Cascadiant) and customer contracts. Ballard had been supplying FCgen-1020ACS fuel-cell stacks for use with IdaTech systems, that went into developed markets, built key customer relationships, and demonstrated the commercial robustness of its direct hydrogen- and methanol-fuelled products. The transaction, in combination with Ballard's Dantherm Power hydrogen systems, has enabled the establishment of a comprehensive portfolio of fuel-cell power-generation products for backup and continuous power. Ballard's President and CEO John Sheridan, said, "The asset acquisition has given Ballard immediate financial and strategic benefits. Strategically, the addition of methanol-fuelled systems provides Ballard with a complete set of fuel-cell power-generation products, along with distributor and customer relationships in leading markets for fuel-cell commercialization." The purchase orders for 102 systems include direct hydrogen ELECTRAgen-H2 systems, for deployment in the network of an Indonesian service provider in order to meet short-duration runtime backup-power requirements. The purchase orders includes methanol fuelled ElectraGen-ME systems for deployment in the network of a different Indonesian service provider in order to meet extended-duration runtime backup-power needs. ElectraGen fuel-cell power-generation systems are more financially attractive to customers, as well as being more environmentally-friendly, than alternative lead acid battery or diesel generator backup-power systems. Marshall Towe, President and CEO of Cascadiant said, "Backup-power [systems] are, by their nature, critical elements of telecom networks. Therefore, the decision to use fuel-cell-based products has certainly been given careful consideration by our customers. Moreover, we are very pleased to be buying systems from Ballard, a clear leader in the fuel-cell industry." Ballard Power Systems Cascadiant ElectraGen product deeplink