Kibo Mining Plc Memorandum of Understanding for Tanzanian Mine

RNS Number : 3481D

Kibo Mining Plc

15 May 2012

Kibo Mining Plc

(Incorporated in Ireland)

(Registration Number: 451931)

(External registration number: 2011/007371/10)

Share code on the JSE Limited: KBO

Share code on the AIM: KIBO

ISIN: IE00B61XQX41

("Kibo" or "the Company")

Memorandum of Understanding for Tanzanian Mine Mouth Power Station signed by Mzuri Coal

Shareholders are advised that the Company has been informed by Mzuri Energy Limited ("MZURI") that MZURI has entered into material negotiations in relation to its main asset, the Rukwa coal project, as more fully explained below.

* Mzuri Coal Limited signs Memorandum of Understanding to pursue the development of a mine mouth power station at its Rukwa Project with large Asian global conglomerate.

Dated: 15 May 2012

As set out in its announcement on 2 April 2012, Kibo Mining plc ("Kibo" or the "Company") (AIM: KIBO), (JSE: KBO), the Tanzania focused mineral exploration and development company, has, subject to various required statutory and shareholder approvals, agreed to acquire control of MZURI. Kibo is now pleased to report that Mzuri Coal Limited ("MCL"), a wholly owned subsidiary of MZURI, has agreed to record a Memorandum of Understanding (the "MOU") with a large Asian Conglomerate (AC), to pursue negotiations forthwith with a view to entering into definitive agreements providing for the development of a mine and a 250-350 MW mine mouth coal fired power station on MCL's Rukwa Coal Project ("Rukwa Power Project") near Mbeya as soon as practicable (the "Development Agreements").

Proposed Transaction Framework

The Development Agreements, if concluded and implemented, would provide for the the following salient elements:

* MCL would provide the AC with all available technical data and expertise to enable the AC to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study on the development of a Rukwa Power Project. If found feasible, MCL would develop a thermal coal mine and enter into a long term off-take agreement with the AC or its nominee to supply the Rukwa Power Project with coal sufficient for its requirements.

* The AC would undertake comprehensive technical, financial and commercial feasibility studies in respect of the Rukwa Power Project. If found to be feasible, The AC would procure all required approvals and permits for the construction, commissioning and operation thereof and design, build and operate a mine mouth coal fired power plant on the Rukwa Power Project.

* The AC would procure an Independent Power Producer ("IPP") license from the Electricity and Water Utility Regulatory Agency of Tanzania ("EWURA") and a Power Purchase Agreement ("PPA") from the Tanzanian National Electricity Supply Company ("TANESCO").

* The parties would have the opportunity to co-invest reciprocally in the equity of the mine and the power plant respectively on terms to be agreed between them.

Rationale

Commenting on the MOU, Kibo CEO Louis Coetzee said:

"This development once again highlights Tanzania as an African investment destination of preference for major international industrial groups. It also validates Kibo's decision to focus its resources and skills here, and to take the bold step to acquire a progressive explorer and developer like Mzuri that has developed a track record of meaningful engagement and value creation in the region over time through multilateral collaborative relationships. "

Mzuri chairman Tinus Maree added:

"This relationship could provide an excellent platform for Mzuri to expedite the development of some of its more advanced energy assets to the benefit of the participants' respective shareholders and, equally importantly, to the people of Tanzania. There is a clear imperative to develop strategic infrastructure projects as catalysts to broader regional economic development in other sectors the region, and we are keen to participate in these endeavours from within the enlarged Kibo team"

Victorian Government review supports feed in tariffs for fuel cells

RNS Number : 7263D

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited

21 May 2012

Monday 21 May 2012

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (AIM / ASX: CFU) - a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation products for homes and other buildings - is pleased to announce that the Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission (VCEC) has recommended that feed in tariffs be extended to include small scale low emissions generators like fuel cells.

The draft report by VCEC, released on Friday 18 May, recommends that Victoria's solar PV feed in tariff be broadened to include all low-emissions and renewable technologies, with a requirement that electricity retailers must offer a wholesale price based feed in tariff for distributed generation of 100 kilowatts or less.

Feed-in tariffs are payments to distributed generators for electricity generated at their premises and fed back into the power grid. VCEC recommends that the feed in tariff be based on the wholesale price for electricity. A report commissioned by VCEC notes that this value varies depending on time, location, and the type of generation technology. The report estimates that currently this value is approximately seven cents per kilowatt hour.

Ceramic Fuel Cells' BlueGen gas to electricity generator would be eligible for this feed in tariff, making Victoria the first State in Australia to provide a feed in tariff for fuel cells. BlueGen customers already receive feed in tariffs in Germany and the United Kingdom.

The VCEC draft report adopts several recommendations made by Ceramic Fuel Cells in our submission and consultation with VCEC, including:

-- Extending the standard feed in tariff regime to include small scale low emissions technologies;

   --      Defining 'small scale' as 100 kilowatts or less; 

-- Defining 'low emission' as 50 percent or lower than the emissions intensity of the national electricity network;

   --      Simplifying the process for connecting small scale generators to the power grid. 

Ceramic Fuel Cells' Managing Director Brendan Dow said:

We welcome the VCEC recommendation to extend feed in tariffs to low emissions generation like our BlueGen product. A fair feed in tariff will deliver value for local BlueGen residential customers. The VCEC report is certainly a step in the right direction, although we believe the proposal to only pay the wholesale rate for power - about seven cents - does not reflect the benefits of increased network efficiency from distributed generation.

We look forward to our ongoing consultation with VCEC and to the Victorian Government adopting the report and delivering a feed in tariff for our locally developed clean energy technology, and in the meantime we will continue to increase sales in offshore markets like Germany and the UK which already provide feed in tariffs.

The Victorian Government commissioned the VCEC report in January 2012. VCEC is seeking submissions on its draft report by Friday 15 June, before making its final report to Government in July 2012.

BlueGen units use ceramic fuel cells to turn natural gas into electricity - as well as heat for hot water - for homes, schools, offices and small commercial buildings. Surplus electricity can be sold back to the grid or used in supplementary applications such as charging electric cars. BlueGen has the highest electrical efficiency of any small scale generating technology in the world, reducing energy bills and cutting carbon emissions.

BlueGen units are operating with customers in Melbourne, Shepparton, Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane, as well as nine other countries worldwide. In Australia BlueGen units are available to commercial and Government customers through our distributors Harvey Norman Commercial and Hills Solar.

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited Continued Progress in Germany

RNS Number : 8259C

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited Continued Progress in Germany 08 May 2012

Tuesday 8 May 2012

   --    Subsidy for early BlueGen units in the State of Saarland 
   --    BlueGen Unit in German Virtual Power Plant project 
   --    BlueGen features at Hannover Fair 

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (AIM / ASX: CFU) - a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation products for homes and other buildings - is pleased to announce that its BlueGen gas-to-electricity units continue to generate strong interest in the German market.

Premier of the State of Saarland launches market introduction program

In the beginning of May 2012, Ms Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the premier of the German State of Saarland, officially announced that the State will subsidise the cost of early BlueGen units. Under the "Climate Plus Saar" program, the State Government will pay 30 percent of the total cost of BlueGen units, including installation, for up to ten BlueGen units installed in Saarland.

Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer made the announcement when putting the State's first BlueGen unit into operation in the State capital of Saarbrucken.

This subsidy from the Saarland State Government is in addition to the subsidy from the German Federal Government, of 1,800 Euros per unit, and the existing feed in tariff regime, under which BlueGen customers get paid for excess electricity generated by BlueGen and exported to the local electricity grid.

The BlueGen product uses ceramic fuel cells to turn natural gas into electricity and heat for hot water, for homes, schools, offices and small commercial buildings. Surplus electricity can be sold back to the grid or used in supplementary applications such as charging electric cars. BlueGen units have the highest electrical efficiency of any small scale generating technology in the world, reducing energy bills and cutting carbon emissions.

Ceramic Fuel Cells and its German distribution partner sanevo are continuing to deliver and install sanevo's first order of 100 BlueGen units, as well as building the sales pipeline for future orders.

BlueGen Unit in German Virtual Power Plant

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited is pleased to announce that one of its BlueGen gas-to-electricity units is operating as part of a Virtual Power Plant project in Germany. The BlueGen unit is operating in the Harz region, south of Hannover as part of the "RegModHarz" project, to develop and operate a Virtual Power Plant combining renewable energy and controllable distributed generation (creating electricity at the point of use).

A Virtual Power Plant is a cluster of distributed electricity generation units, controlled and operated by a central entity using integrated software systems. A Virtual Power Plant allows power generation to be modulated up or down to meet peak loads and balance intermittent power from wind or solar, with higher efficiency and more flexibility than large centralised power stations.

As the share of renewable electricity increases, one of the challenges for power grid operators is to match intermittent electricity supply with the local demand for power. In the Harz region of Germany about one-third of electricity used is produced from renewable sources. Controllable distributed generation, like BlueGen, can help balance this renewable generation. Each BlueGen unit is controlled over the internet and the power output can be turned up or down remotely, to help balance supply and demand of electricity. The RegModHarz project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety.

BlueGen featured at Germany's largest energy fair

BlueGen's involvement in the RegModHarz project was recently announced at the Hannover Fair, one of Germany's largest and most important energy industry events.

This year more than 190,000 visitors attended the fair, the highest number since 2008. The fair featured about 5,000 exhibitors from 69 countries.

Ceramic Fuel Cells exhibited the BlueGen product as part of the German Fuel Cell Initiative ("Initiative Brennstoffzelle", or IBZ). The IBZ is a consortium of leading German energy companies, fuel cell manufacturers, the German Energy Agency and the National Organisation for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW).

The compact BlueGen unit generated much interest among prospective customers and sales and development partners as well as State and Federal policy makers and media.

Pictures from the Hannover Fair are available at www.cfcl.com.au/CFCL_Events.

ENDS

More information:

-- RegModHarz project www.regmodharz.de/ (in German)

-- IBZ www.initiative-brennstoffzelle.de/ (in German)

-- Hannover Fair www.hannovermesse.de/home (German and English)

-- BlueGen www.bluegen.info (German and English)

-- Sanevo Blue Energy www.sanevo.de/bluegen/ (in German)

Ceramic Fuel Cells' products achieve 1 million hours of operation

Thursday 10 May 2012

Ceramic Fuel Cells' products achieve 1 million hours of operation

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (AIM / ASX: CFU) - a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation products for homes and other buildings - is pleased to announce that its products have achieved a combined one million hours of operation.

Ceramic Fuel Cells' first field trial units were operated in Australia, New Zealand and Germany from early 2006. In 2007 the company developed its high efficiency Gennex fuel cell module, which is the core of the Company's BlueGen product (first installed with customers in 2010) and integrated mCHP products (developed with appliance partners in Germany, France and the United Kingdom).

Up to 1 May 2012, a total of 189 units have been operated at Ceramic Fuel Cells' facilities in Melbourne and Germany, as well as at customer sites in nine countries. Cumulative operation from all of these systems has now passed one million hours.

The company's products use ceramic fuel cells to turn natural gas into electricity - as well as heat for hot water - for homes, schools, offices and small commercial buildings. Surplus electricity can be sold back to the grid or used in supplementary applications such as charging electric cars. Our products have the highest electrical efficiency of any small scale generating technology in the world, reducing energy bills and cutting carbon emissions.

The company currently has an order book of 619 units made up of 264 integrated mCHP products and 355 BlueGen(R) products.

The number of units installed and operating at customer sites has increased significantly in recent months and is now up to 199. (This number is updated and reported on www.bluegen.net.)

Ceramic Fuel Cells Managing Director Brendan Dow said milestones such as one million hours of operation are important. "These units are not just operating in our labs, but at many customer sites in nine countries around the world," he said. "We continue to optimise the lifetime and reliability of our products, offering customers a real alternative to energy generation, saving them money and dramatically reducing their carbon emissions."

Brendan Dow discusses the Company's current activities in a webcast interview with BRR Media, available at http://www.cfcl.com.au/webcasts.

** BlueGen recently featured on Australian Channel 7's Today Tonight program - http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/latest/article/-/13501222/power-saving-breakthrough/

ENDS

The LE-600 48v wind turbine is designed to charge a nominal 48v battery bank

The LE-600 48v wind turbine is designed to charged a nominal 48v battery bank. The way this works is that once the turbine begins to turn, voltage is generated as the turbine speed increases. At this stage, the turbine is off-load and has not yet 'cut-in'. When the LE-600 reaches approximately 290rpm at 3m/s (its designed cut-in speed) the turbine voltage will have increased to level of the battery voltage, in this case 48v nominal. This cut-in speed is by design as the turbine blades need to be rotating fast enough to generate lift before any load is drawn from them. As the turbine speed and voltage continues to increase with windspeed, the batteries 'hold' the turbine voltage down and the turbine instead delivers current to the batteries.

Charging batteries is very simple for the wind turbine. The batteries are effectively a resistance and current is delivered from the turbine and into the batteries following the principles of ohms law.

Using any grid-tie inverter is far more complicated as the simplicity of ohms law is not present.
Instead, the inverter has to be programmed with a MPPT curve which tells the inverter how much power to draw from the turbine judging by the turbines speed. Draw too much power to soon, and the turbine will stall. Draw too little power and the turbine will run very fast and noisily and will not generate much power. The inverter monitors the turbines output voltage and uses that as an analogy for speed. To further complicate the situation, once the turbine is 'on-load' and doing work, its output voltage is no longer proportional to the speed. Thus the MPPT curve that is programmed into the inverter is quite important!

The Windmaster 500 has a voltage range of 25-125 volts in which the MPPT can be programmed. When using a Windmaster 500 with the LE-600, the MPPT curve is programmed between 25-65v.
We have found in our testing, that a LE-600 neither a 48v or 24v are quite right for use with the Windmaster and thus we developed the GT1 variant. In a way you could describe the GT1 variant as a '30v' variant. It puts the voltage characteristics of the turbine in-line with the aerodynamic characteristics of the turbine blades and the electrical characteristics of the Windmaster 500 and the MPPT curve that is programmed into it.

Turbines of different manufacture have different aerodynamic / electrical characteristics and some use 48v turbines with the Windmaster 500. There are a lot of variables and this might be ok with other turbines, but we weren’t quite happy with that and so developed the GT1 variant.

It would be possible to use a 24v or 48v LE-600 with the Windmaster, but the performance would be sub-optimal  and in any case we have developed the GT1 variant especially for the Windmaster 500.