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For Immediate Release 17 August, 2004
QuestAir delivers first of 10 H-3200 hydrogen purifiers to Plug Power for on-site hydrogen generation
BURNABY, B.C. – QuestAir Technologies Inc. announced today it has delivered the first of 10 H-3200 hydrogen purification units to Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ: “PLUG”) of Latham, N.Y., a leading developer of on-site energy systems. The units will be integrated into Plug Power GenSite™ hydrogen generation systems that will operate at customer sites at international locations.
This delivery follows a successful one-year field trial of QuestAir’s H-3200 hydrogen purifier at Plug Power’s Apeldoorn facility in the Netherlands. During the verification trial, the H-3200 has been integrated with a prototype GenSite™ system and has operated for more than 3,000 hours, producing 99.95% pure hydrogen. The prototype GenSite™ system is now being used to supply hydrogen test gas to Plug Power’s Apeldoorn facility at a substantially lower cost than other hydrogen supply options, such as bottled hydrogen or hydrogen generated with on-site electrolysis technology.
Plug Power’s GenSite™ produces hydrogen gas from a natural gas feedstock using a process called autothermal reforming. The overall system design incorporates Plug Power’s reforming technology with a hydrogen purifier and a compressor. The GenSite™ product line is designed to provide reliable, economical on-site generation of high-purity compressed hydrogen for industrial applications such as generator cooling and metals processing.
Jonathan Wilkinson, President and CEO of QuestAir, said Plug Power’s GenSite™ system offers a strong economic proposition to customers who require a reliable, scalable source of industrial grade hydrogen. “We believe Plug Power’s GenSite™ systems – including QuestAir’s purification component -- will have a significant impact on this segment of the hydrogen gas marketplace. We look forward to expanding our business relationship with Plug Power in the future,” Wilkinson said.
QuestAir’s H-3200 purifies hydrogen-containing gas streams to high purity hydrogen for use in industrial processes, hydrogen fueling stations and stationary fuel cell power plants. The H-3200’s optimized Pressure Swing Adsorption (“PSA”) process and proprietary rotary valve technology deliver higher efficiency than conventional PSA systems in a more compact, cost effective package. Since the product launch in 2003, QuestAir has sold 22 H-3200 systems to customers in Europe, Japan and North America.
About QuestAir Technologies Inc.
QuestAir Technologies, Inc. has developed proprietary gas purification technology that is being applied to several large existing and emerging world markets, including industrial hydrogen production and stationary and automotive fuel cells. QuestAir's proprietary fast-cycle pressure swing adsorption ("PSA") technology allows the developers of fuel cell systems to increase the efficiency of their products, and offers a compact, cost effective gas purification solution to QuestAir's industrial customers and developers of hydrogen fueling infrastructure. QuestAir is a private company based in Burnaby, British Columbia whose shareholders and strategic partners include Shell Hydrogen, Ballard Power Systems and The BOC Group.
About Plug Power
Plug Power Inc. designs and develops on-site energy systems based on proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Plug Power’s strategic partners include GE Fuel Cell Systems, DTE Energy Technologies, Vaillant GmbH, Honda R&D Co., Ltd., Engelhard Corporation and and Pemeas GmbH (formerly Celanese Ventures). The Company’s headquarters are located in Latham, N.Y., with offices in Washington, D.C., and The Netherlands.
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