VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 22, 2021 /CNW/ - Ballard Power Systems
(NASDAQ: BLDP) (TSX: BLDP) today announced that the company has
launched a three-year project through a collaboration with
Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) and Microsoft (NYSE: MSFT) to
demonstrate a power system incorporating large-format hydrogen fuel
cells to produce reliable and sustainable backup power for data
centers. The project is supported and partially funded by the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) under the H2@Scale initiative and backed
by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL).
Caterpillar experts in advanced power technologies, controls and
system integration are working alongside Microsoft experts in data
center design and Ballard experts in fuel cell design, to
demonstrate a 1.5 MW backup power delivery and control system that
would meet or exceed the high expectations set by current diesel
engine systems, while achieving a significantly reduced emissions
profile.
Ballard will provide an advanced, 1.5 MW
ClearGenTM-II hydrogen fuel cell power generator. As the
prime contractor on the project, Caterpillar is providing the
overall system integration, power electronics, and controls that
form the central structure of the power solution, which will be
fueled by low-carbon-intensity hydrogen. Microsoft is hosting the
demonstration project at a company data center in Quincy, Washington. NREL is performing
analyses on safety, techno-economics, and greenhouse gas
impacts.
"At Caterpillar, we focus on supporting our customers with
reliable, resilient and economical power solutions while achieving
their climate-related goals," said Jason
Kaiser, Vice President of Caterpillar Electric Power. "This
hydrogen fuel cell demonstration project enables us to collaborate
with industry leaders to take a large step toward commercially
viable power solutions that also support our customers in making
their operations more sustainable."
"We continue to invest in research and advanced development in
hydrogen fuel cells as one of the various pathways toward our
commitment to be carbon negative by 2030," said Christian Belady,
Distinguished Engineer and VP, Advanced Development, Cloud
Operations + Innovation at Microsoft. "This latest project with
Caterpillar will provide valuable insights into how to leverage
hydrogen fuel cells for backup power in our datacenters at
scale."
"We are excited to be collaborating with a complementary team of
global industry leaders on this important demonstration
project," said Randy MacEwen,
Ballard's President & CEO. "The results of this project will
provide key insights into the capability of fuel cell systems to
scale and serve multi-megawatt data centers. The project will also
explore the scalability of fuel cell systems powered by low
carbon-intensity hydrogen from cost and performance perspectives.
Ballard's industry leading PEM technology is well suited for
customers undergoing energy transition and requiring high power
backup applications featuring its quick start up ability, proven
durability, and load following capability."
About Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems'
(NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP) vision is to deliver fuel cell power for
a sustainable planet. Ballard zero-emission PEM fuel cells are
enabling electrification of mobility, including buses, commercial
trucks, trains, marine vessels, passenger cars and forklift trucks.
To learn more about Ballard, please visit www.ballard.com.
Forward-looking statements
This release contains
forward-looking statements concerning the development and delivery
of fuel cell products, and the benefits and anticipated market
adoption of them. These forward-looking statements reflect
Ballard's current expectations as contemplated under section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any such statements
are based on Ballard's assumptions relating to its financial
forecasts and expectations regarding its product development
efforts, manufacturing capacity, and market demand. For a detailed
discussion of the factors and assumptions that these statements are
based upon, and factors that could cause our actual results or
outcomes to differ materially, please refer to Ballard's most
recent management discussion & analysis. Other risks and
uncertainties that may cause Ballard's actual results to be
materially different include general economic and regulatory
changes, detrimental reliance on third parties, successfully
achieving our business plans and achieving and sustaining
profitability. For a detailed discussion of these and other risk
factors that could affect Ballard's future performance, please
refer to Ballard's most recent Annual Information Form. These
forward-looking statements are provided to enable external
stakeholders to understand Ballard's expectations as at the date of
this release and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Readers
should not place undue reliance on these statements and Ballard
assumes no obligation to update or release any revisions to them,
other than as required under applicable legislation.
Acknowledgement
This material is based upon work
supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Hydrogen and Fuel
Cell Technologies Office, H2@Scale Initiative, Award Number
DEEE0009252. The views expressed herein do not necessarily
represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United
States Government.
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SOURCE Ballard Power Systems Inc.