John Sheridan, President and CEO of Ballard, said, "Delivery of a clean supplemental power solution to a major public power utility is an exciting new opportunity for fuel cell products. We are effectively building on our partnership activities with Dantherm, with whom we have been providing fuel cell-based backup power solutions for the wireless telecom industry. This project supports our ongoing strategy to accelerate fuel cell product adoption across a growing range of applications."
The 100 kW supplemental power unit is a key part of BC Hydro's Hydrogen-Assisted Renewable Power (HARP) initiative. The product will help reduce fuel consumption at the Ah-Sin-Heek diesel power generation facility, by increasing the utilization of existing renewable power at BC Hydro's Clayton Falls hydroelectric generation facility near Bella Coola, a community of 2,500 people on British Columbia's central coast.
HARP is part of BC Hydro's efforts to facilitate the use of renewable power and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in remote communities. The project is being funded by BC Hydro, General Electric and the federal government through the Sustainable Development Technology Canada foundation. In addition to Bella Coola, there are over 50 remote communities in BC, and over 300 across Canada, which are not connected to power grids or gas pipelines and could therefore benefit from alternative clean energy solutions.
Dantherm will provide system components and design work, as well as integration expertise and the supplemental power unit will be deployed by BC Hydro in 2009.
Per Albaek, Managing Director of Dantherm Power A/S, added, "This contract with BC Hydro and Powertech Labs is not only evidence of opportunities for fuel cells in emerging application areas like supplemental power, it is also an important stepping stone for Dantherm's participation in the North American marketplace."