Ohio growing a fuel cell supply chain

This state is investing in a strong fuel cell industry cluster, and lift truck makers and users will be among the beneficiaries.

By Tom Andel, Editor in Chief -- Modern Materials Handling, 5/15/2008

A fuel cell supply chain is well underway in Ohio. Its progress and implications for industry were discussed during The Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition’s annual symposium in Akron May 13-14. During the conference, U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown made a virtual appearance (by DVD), noting that the government has already invested $2 billion into automotive fuel cell projects and that Congress will consider an energy bill next year offering tax credits for renewable and advanced technology energy development.

Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted appeared live to outline Ohio’s commitment to fuel cell development, including the Third Frontier ballot initiative, allowing the state to invest $100 million to fund start-up companies and help foster partnership with Ohio’s research universities.

Fuel-cell-powered lift trucks were highlighted during the event, thanks to partners like Crown Equipment Corp. and Plug Power. Crown was recently awarded nearly $1 million in grant money from the state to conduct fuel cell research. Eric Jensen, Crown’s manager of new technology research and development, told Modern this technology is not just about fuel cells, but a collaboration of technologies.

“The most common misconception about fuel cells is that it’s a direct drop-in replacement,” he said. “All these power packs are hybrids. All need some way to level the power output for instant peaks and to handle power regeneration. The Plug Power cell we use is not only a 2kw cell, but it can peak as high as 11. It can draw 8 or 9 at full load and traction, but it takes time to do that. So you want instant power output, and the hybridizing element allows them to smoothly ramp up that power.”

Katrina Fritz Intwala, director of government initiatives for Plug Power, told Modern there’s still work to be done on the hydrogen infrastructure to make fuel cells a more viable alternative power source.

“The current infrastructure is to deliver the hydrogen and set up a dispensing station inside a facility,” she explained. “The end goal is to have onsite hydrogen generation. There are ways to produce hydrogen from biomass, or from waste from a large 1 megawatt fuel cell [for backup power], that will produce excess hydrogen.”

Jensen added that the Industrial Truck Association is also looking at fuel cell standards for lift truck applications. Their findings are being shared with the fuel cell supply chain.

“We need to verify that potential over-voltage conditions won’t affect the lift truck negatively,” he concluded. “We supply that feedback to our powerpack collaborators so they can make a better product.”