To keep to its commitment of changing the energy landscape by putting alternative power generation to work,
Plug Power Inc., a provider of clean, reliable energy solutions
announced that while hydrogen fuel cell systems are not a solution for the future they are a commercially viable alternative-energy-powered solution today.
The announcement comes at a time when the entire nation, including President Obama, is concerned about finding out a viable alternative to fossil fuel.
The company, which touts itself for having revolutionized the material handling industry with its cost-effective power solutions, said that nation’s top policy makers should realize that hydrogen fuel cell systems no longer exist in the pages of science fictions; they are commercially viable and today as much a reality as other alternative energy sources are. According to the company, its GenDrive fuel cell makes a superior alternative to lead-acid batteries used in the electric lift trucks in the $20 billion global material handling market.
Plug Power (News - Alert) said that its GenDrive fuel cell units are used in some of North America's largest distribution and manufacturing businesses. The company boasts of an impressive clientele including such big-shots as Walmart, FedEx Freight, BMW and Sysco.
As proof of hydrogen fuel cells’ industrial application and its increasing adoption, the company cited a set of impressive data.
Currently over 1,000 units are in operation in the industry and according to the company estimate, have accumulated over 2 million hours of runtime. Over 250,000 hydrogen fuelings have been performed by Plug Power's customers to date. That equates to over 7,500 fuelings performed by lift truck operators every week, the company revealed.
The company further claimed that businesses are increasingly going for a replacement of incumbent, toxic technologies in favor of a reliable hydrogen infrastructure for their newly built facilities.
"Not only are fuel cells delivering clean, reliable and efficient power to major corporations, military installations and college campuses across the country, they are generating high wage, green jobs, too,” president and executive director of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association Ruth Cox (News - Alert) said. “Fuel cells and hydrogen energy systems are American engineered, American manufactured and domestically fueled, supporting U.S. goals for energy independence and a robust clean energy economy.”
“Americans are better than the fuel we import to put into our vehicles,” Cox added. “That is why we should take a more serious look at fuel cells – units that we make in America, today. These are real products that are creating jobs, cleaning up our environment and increasing our global security. As if that's not enough, this product is export ready – to go from America to other countries around the globe. Instead of pouring billions of taxpayer dollars into foreign oil subsidies while consumers are still gouged at the pump, we should invest in domestic, clean and export ready technology right here in New York.”
Earlier this month, Plug Power announced though a press release that SmarTrend identified an Uptrend for Plug Power on November 3, 2010 at $0.52. In approximately four months, Plug Power reportedly returned 36.3 percent.
Madhubanti Rudra is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Carrie Schmelkin
