VANCOUVER, October 18,
2012 - Ballard Power Systems has announced the
commissioning of a 1.1-megawatt ClearGen™ fuel cell system
installed at the Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) sales and
marketing headquarters campus in Torrance, California.
Powered by Ballard's proton exchange
membrane (PEM) fuel cells, the ClearGen™ system enables Toyota to
satisfy peak and mid-peak power needs using electricity from either
the clean energy fuel cell system or from the power grid.
"Reducing our demand for electricity
from the utility will create an estimated savings of one hundred
thousand dollars each summer, while at the same time reducing our
environmental footprint," said Doug Beebe, Toyota Administrative
Services Corporate Manager.
Hydrogen fuel is delivered directly
to the system by means of an existing pipeline, which also supplies
a local fuel cell vehicle fueling station. Pipeline hydrogen used
on Toyota's campus will be offset with the purchase of landfill
generated renewable bio-gas. "Toyota is taking
advantage of the inherent load-following capability of PEM fuel
cells," said Paul Cass, Ballard Vice President of Operations.
"The flexibility of our scalable
ClearGen™ system is such that it can operate intermittently to
provide peak power during times of high demand or continuously to
meet baseload power needs."
This project represents the first deployment of a Ballard
stationary fuel cell power generation platform, the development of
which was supported by funding from Sustainable Development
Technology Canada (SDTC), an arm's-length, not-for-profit
corporation funded by the Government of Canada that helps
commercialize Canadian clean technologies, readying them for growth
and export markets.
"This announcement clearly shows the bottom-line impacts of clean
technologies: saving money, improving efficiency and making the
most of resources," said Dr. Vicky Sharpe, President and CEO of
SDTC. "We congratulate Ballard on reaching this important milestone
and Toyota on showing leadership through early adoption."
Project funding is also being provided through California's
Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP).