Hydrogen Solar Ltd has received a prestigious award from the BOC Foundation for a large scale demonstration of its carbon-free direct hydrogen generation technology, the Tandem Cell Array. Guildford, U.K. (PRWEB) October 8, 2005 -- The BOC Foundation has awarded Hydrogen Solar Ltd funds to develop and demonstrate a system to produce carbon-free, sustainable hydrogen directly from sunlight and water using the Hydrogen Solar Tandem CellTM. In the first phase of the project, Hydrogen Solar will design, build and install a 100 m2 array of Tandem Cells to generate high-purity hydrogen. The BOC Group will provide engineering safety expertise, compression units and engineering support during the installation. The second phase will be to demonstrate the Tandem Cell array over a six month period at the Beacon Energy Ltd site at West Beacon Farm, Leicestershire. The system will provide hydrogen for fuel cell applications, to provide electricity for recharging electric vehicles, and for heat and power for various buildings. QUOTES: HYDROGEN SOLAR LTD, CHIEF EXECUTIVE - DR DAVID AUTY We welcome the support of The BOC Foundation. This project will validate the Tandem Cell as a viable, low cost and environmentally friendly method of generating hydrogen for both today’s industrial markets and for the future hydrogen energy economy. THE BOC FOUNDATION, DIRECTOR – BARRY BEECROFT The BOC Foundation is pleased to support practical demonstrations of renewable small-scale hydrogen production facilities. The Tandem cell is a good example of how hydrogen can be applied and will certainly add to the advancing hydrogen economy. BOC GROUP, GLOBAL DIRECTOR, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY – JOHN CAROLIN Economic production of hydrogen from renewables is key in turning the hydrogen energy vision into reality. Projects such as the Tandem Cell are vital stepping stones to the commercial deployment of hydrogen energy. BEACON ENERGY LTD, DIRECTOR - PROF TONY MARMONT The Tandem Cell shows great promise as a renewable hydrogen production method. We look forward to being able to demonstrate this technology in a real-world application here at West Beacon Farm, and benchmark this with our existing hydrogen production methods. The prospect of a panel on the roof of a house to produce emission-free motoring is a fantastic vision towards a zero carbon society, and The BOC Foundation’s foresight is a catalyst for this vision. Notes to Editors: Hydrogen Solar Ltd The Tandem Cell is a self-contained single unit which directly splits water molecules into high-purity hydrogen and oxygen using the energy from sunlight. No external electricity is required. The process is renewable, produces no carbon dioxide or other emissions. By using a modular design, the array can be built to an infinite variety of sizes, making it suitable for a wide range of industrial and energy applications. Further information, please go to
http://www.hydrogensolar.com or contact Rupert Leach on +44 07950 918 083, OR Roger Townsend on +44 (0)14383 688 080. The BOC Foundation The BOC Group established The BOC Foundation in 1990. Since then it has funded over 120 environmental projects in the UK and invested with its partners over £10 million. The BOC Foundation supports projects proposing practical solutions to environmental problems, in particular to improve UK water quality and the air we breathe. Further information can be found at:
http://www.boc.com/foundation/index.asp The BOC Group BOC, the worldwide industrial gases, vacuum technologies and distribution services company, serves two million customers in more than 50 countries. It employs some 30,000 people and had annual sales of over £4.6 billion in 2004. Further information about The BOC Group may be obtained at: www.boc.com. BOC and Hydrogen BOC operates over one hundred hydrogen plants around the world ranging form large-scale steam methane reformers to small electrolytic plants. The company distributes bulk quantities of liquid and compressed hydrogen gas to customers by pipeline, a large fleet of liquid tankers as well as in smaller quantities in cylinders. BOC’s hydrogen team develops and seeks to commercialize the industrial gases applications essential to fuel cell technology. Fuel cell technology is key to the long-term development of alternative energy resources, road transport, telecommunications and protection of the environment. As such, BOC is associated with a number of important trials working with customers in these sectors. Beacon Energy Ltd Beacon Energy’s objectives are to demonstrate and promote sustainability, to promote public awareness about global warming and to encourage the reduction of CO2 emissions. Beacon Energy is based at a unique renewable energy demonstration site at West Beacon Farm, featuring different technologies and enabling Beacon Energy to be independent from the national grid and fossil fuels. The state-of-the art technologies at West Beacon Farm provide research opportunities for the renewable energy centres at Loughborough University, De Montfort University and Nottingham University. More information about Beacon Energy can be found at: www.beaconenergy.co.uk or contact Professor Tony Marmont on +44 (0)1509 610 033.
