Detroit Electric
Electric boats are steadily growing in popularity within the maritime sector, due to the ever-increasing focus on environmental and noise pollution. Boats with conventional petrol or diesel motors are often banned from sailing in many scenic areas, including lakes and rivers, as well as in densely populated areas.
The market for electric boats specifically used for sailing in these areas is therefore a growing one. However, electric boats face the same challenge as electric cars, as the range of a single charge is limited, and it takes a relatively long time to recharge the batteries once they have been discharged. IRD Fuel Cell Technology A/S in Svendborg, Denmark, has now found a solution to this problem.
The company's latest development, a battery charger based on a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), can increase the range of a single charge to an almost indefinite degree. The fuel cell charger, which runs on methanol, charges with the aid of the boat's batteries, which are thus discharged to a lesser degree. As long as the battery charger charges at the same capacity as the boat's average consumption, the range of the boat will be dependent on the size of the methanol tank.
For demonstration purposes, IRD has built a fuel cell driven battery charger into a 21 foot electric chaloupe boat. The boat runs on a 1.4 kW electric motor, and carries 48 volt and 50 Ah batteries. The boat's average consumption is typically 850 W. With IRD's 500 W charger, the working time of the motor is increased from two hours to five hours without charging from the grid.
Director and founder of IRD Fuel Cell Technology, MP Jørgen S. Lundsgaard, says:
"IRD's battery charger can have a great impact on the electric boat industry, specifically for boats with electric motors up to 3 kW. Our methanol technology has therefore received quite a bit of interest from the maritime sector."
A further advantage of fitting an electric boat with a battery charger is that the number of batteries can be reduced whilst the service life of the batteries is increased significantly due to the charge cycle of the battery charger.
For further information or demonstration of IRD's fuel cell driven boat, please contact:
Søren Wichmann, Director of Sales: swi@ird.dk, phone: (+45) 6363 3058, mobile (+45) 2987 1774
Jørgen Lundsgaard, Director: jsl@ird.dk, phone: (+45) 6363 3022, mobile (+45) 4010 0002
Due to the company's experience with PEM fuel cells and hydrogen technology in the renewable energy field, IRD Fuel Cell Technology A/S has been experiencing an increased demand for the professional supply of hydrogen for use in hydrogen societies, primarily in relation to powering combined heat and power plants, as well as in other installations with a high and continuous demand for hydrogen.
IRD has been cooperating with Italy's leading provider of hydrogen and oxygen plants, PIEL Technologia Ecologia, a subsidiary of ILT Technologie in Ponsacco, on a number of different projects.
It is therefore a natural development that IRD has now signed a commercial agreement with PIEL regarding sales and service of PIEL's hydrogen and oxygen plants in Denmark.
IRD can now supply hydrogen plants with a capacity ranging from 1.000 to 12.000 litres of hydrogen per hour.
For further information please contact IRD's sales department.
IRD is pleased to announce that, as of June 18th, 2009, the founder and director of IRD, Dr. Jørgen Lundsgaard, has been appointed member of the Danish Parliament for the Conservative Party. Jørgen Lundsgaard takes over the position of the former leader of the Conservative Party, Bendt Bendtsen, who was elected to the EU Parliament in June 2009.
When the Danish Parliament opens in October, Jørgen Lundsgaard will be acting as spokesman for the Conservative Party in the areas of Science, IT and Telecommunication, and will also be a member of the Committee for Science, Technology and Energy.
Based on his many years of experience in research and development of environmental and energy technology, Jørgen Lundsgaard will be working for a stronger Danish position at the forefront of the global green revolution.
Amongst Jørgen Lundsgaard's goals are:
- An educational policy which ensures sufficient engineering and research resources.
- A funding policy to keep Denmark at the forefront of research, development and demonstration.
- An industrial policy which focuses on improved cooperation between public and private activities..
- A patent strategy for technology, including IT (software).
"I would like to focus on bringing some of the new energy technologies out of the Danish R&D laboratories and into the international market, creating more green employment and industrial activity in Denmark," says Jørgen Lundsgaard.
In cooperation with IRD and other partners, the ambitious municipality, Lolland Kommune, has now opened a new exhibition: "H2 interactive". This exhibition showcases the vision and development of the ground-breaking hydrogen society which is being established in Vestenskov, a village on the island of Lolland.
Combined Heat and Powerplants (CHP), developed by IRD and driven by PEM fuel cells, have been installed in five households in Vestenskov, and more units are to follow in the coming year. The project was inaugerated by Her Royal Highness Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in September 2008.
More information on "H2 interaction" can be seen on www.h2interaction.com.
IRD participated in the Hydrogen+Fuel Cells 2009 exhibition in Vancouver in May/June 2009. It was the first time after the acquisition of the Cabot MEA manufacturing plant earlier this year that IRD exhibited their full range of flow plates, MEAs and stacks.
"Especially the Cabot deal has created a lot of new interest. Now it is possible for our customers to purchase MEAs and flow plates in high volume from one single supplier, and we are very happy to be able to communicate this to our customers visiting our booth here at HFC," says Director of Sales Søren Wichmann.
The DTU car "Innovator"
For the fourth year in a row the Danish Technological University (DTU) has partcipated in the Shell Eco-marathon with a Fuel Cell car powered by an IRD PEM Fuel Cell. And for the 3rd time they have won their class.
On the Lausitz track south of Berlin, Germany the IRD powered DTU car "Innovator" participated in the Prototype class for hydrogen powered cars and won the class with an impressive 3,549 km per litres of fuel. This result was not only the best in class, but also a vast improvement over last years result, where the DTU car "only" reached 2,328 km/l.
Bjørn Thorsen
CEO at IRD
On 1 April 2009, Bjoern Thorsen is appointed Managing Director, CEO.
Bjørn Thorsen, Bsc., has a strong background in Business as well as Operations. Bjørn joins IRD after more than eleven years at Gutor Electronics LCC in Switzerland, one of the world's largest UPS companies in the field of oil and gas. As Chief Operation Officer at Gutor, Bjørn Thorsen was responsible for the daily operation of Gutor world wide.
"I am really looking forward to using my past experience to bring the promising Fuel Cell technology to market, especially considering the focus set on renewable energy technology today. As we all know, the demand for green energy is huge." says Bjørn Thorsen.
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| Greg Romney from Cabot hands over the MEA manufacturing line to Steen Yde-Andersen, IRD. |
IRD Fuel Cell Technology A/S in Svendborg, Denmark, has acquired a MEA (Membrane Electrode Assembly) manufacturing line from Cabot Corporation. The MEA manufacturing line is situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and will remain in this location, being handled by the newly founded IRD affiliate, IRD Fuel Cells, LLC. The transaction was effectuated on March 5, 2009.
In addition, IRD and Cabot have entered into joint development and supply agreements to collaborate closely on the development of improved MEAs incorporating Cabot's advanced electrocatalysts, further increasing the performance and quality of IRD's MEA products.
"In adding to IRD's core competences in MEA and stack development by taking over one of the world's most advanced MEA production lines, we have taken a big step towards making fuel cells a technical as well as a commercial success. Our collaborations with Cabot will allow us to rapidly bring to market improved MEAs with the performance and durability needed by our customers," says Dr. Joergen S. Lundsgaard, founder and CEO of IRD Fuel Cell Technology.
Fred von Gottberg, Vice President of Cabot's New Business Segment commented, "With the sale of our world-class MEA production line to IRD Fuel Cells, we are better able to focus our efforts on further improvements to our superior fuel cell electrocatalyst products. We look forward to working with IRD as they launch their MEA products to the fuel cell industry."
IRD Fuel Cell Technology A/S in Svendborg, Denmark, has been involved in the research and develop-ment of fuel cell technology since 1982. The main focus has been on the MEA, as it is one of the key components of a fuel cell, and a critical element in ensuring the required performance of a fuel cell.
As part of IRD's go-to-market strategy, flow plate and stack production facilities have been established in Svendborg, and, with the acquisition of a functional MEA manufacturing line, IRD is now fully prepared to offer fuel cell stacks and fuel cell components to the industry at high volume and competitive prices.
IRD Fuel Cells, LLC is registered in the US, and will function as an independent company. Mr. Steen Yde-Andersen, formerly R&D Manager at IRD Fuel Cell Technology, has been appointed general manager of the new company. IRD Fuel Cells, LLC will operate a production facility capable of manufacturing all types of MEAs for PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) fuel cells, including PEMFC and DMFC (direct methanol) fuel cells. With a yearly capacity of 1 million MEAs, IRD Fuel Cells, LLC will be able to produce any amount of MEAs ranging from prototypes to mass production.
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In December 2009, Denmark will be hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen, and the Danish exhibition center, "Experimentarium", will be focusing on climate issues with the new exhibition, "Energy", where students and other visitors can learn more about renewable energy .
As co-sponsor, IRD has developed a scooter powered by fuel cells, where the batteries are charged by DMFC fuel cells
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For more information, please visit www.experimentarium.dk