August 27, 2009, Vancouver, British Columbia
At the end of 2009 the ElectraGenTM H2 fuel cell generator, produced by IdaTech and Ballard Power Systems Inc., passed all customer specification testing in India. IdaTech will deliver 310 of these units to India this year, starting in July. Developed as part of a Supply Agreement between the two companies and India's ACME Tele Power Group (ACME), the backup power units are part of a minimum 10,000 unit order - believed to be the largest-ever order of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. ACME is poised to acquire a total potential of 30,000 natural gas systems between 2010 and 2013.
The units were validated in Vancouver at the highly specialized Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation (NRC-IFCI) Advanced Testing and Validation Centre (ATVC), designed to assist with the advancement of BC's fuel cell cluster by accelerating the commercialization of innovative new technology. Through the use of the Centre's Hydrogen Environmental Chamber - capable of simulating a range of global environmental conditions - the ElectraGenTM H2 systems underwent the rigorous testing that helped enable their factory certification approval and successful deployment in India.