ITM Power (AIM: ITM), the energy storage and clean fuel company: Sale of Equipment to EADS

RNS Number : 0195G

Itm Power PLC

25 June 2012

25 June 2012

ITM Power plc

("ITM Power" or the "Company")

Sale of Equipment to EADS

ITM Power (AIM: ITM), the energy storage and clean fuel company, is pleased to announce that it has sold its first hydrogen generation system to the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) for use by its research arm, Innovation Works, in its Energy and Propulsion laboratory.

,

ITM Power CEO, Dr. Graham Cooley, said: "EADS is a very high quality organisation at the forefront of technology and we are delighted to have forged such a productive relationship."

For further information please visit www.itm-power.comor contact:

 
 ITM Power plc 
  Graham Cooley, CEO                                      0114 244 5111       
 Singer Capital Markets Limited (Nominated 
  Adviser & Broker) 
  Jonathan Marren / Samantha New                          020 3205 7500       
 Tavistock Communications 
  Simon Hudson / Kelsey Traynor                           020 7920 3150       
 

About EADS

The EADS Group is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services, employing around 133,000 people at more than 170 sites worldwide.

Developing sustainable aircraft, connecting people, observing and understanding Earth, and making the world a safer place: EADS does things that matter. Ever since its inception in 2000, EADS has constantly drawn from the strength that comes from integration. The Group brings together businesses that are market leaders in their own right, forming a collective driven by a single vision.

EADS includes Airbus as the leading global manufacturer of the most innovative commercial and military aircraft, with Airbus Military covering tanker, transport and mission aircraft. Astrium, the European leader in space programmes and the third biggest space provider worldwide, is active in all space activities, from large-scale space systems to satellite services.

Cassidian, worldwide leader in state-of-the-art solutions for armed forces and civil security worldwide, also makes EADS the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium and a stakeholder in the missile systems provider MBDA. Eurocopter is the world's primary helicopter manufacturer in the civil sector, offering the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world.

EADS - its people and its innovations - plays a role in creating some of the world's biggest success stories, helping to make tomorrow's technology a reality.

http://www.eads.com

About ITM Power

ITM Power plc was admitted to the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in 2004 and raised its initial funding of GBP10m in its IPO. A further funding round of GBP28.5m was completed in 2006. The Company has now made the transition from a research and development company to a product manufacturer and technology provider. The Company has both a strong base of intellectual property and engineering expertise for providing complete hydrogen solutions. The Company has been successful in developing strategic industry partnerships in the following projects:

Crest Nicholson installs BlueGen to create the UK's first low carbon home using fuel cell power and heating

RNS Number : 0353G

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited

25 June 2012

Monday 25 June 2012

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (AIM / ASX: CFU), a leading provider of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation products for homes and other buildings, is pleased to announce that Crest Nicholson, one of the UK's leading house builders, has installed a BlueGen gas-to-electricity generator in one of its low carbon homes.

The BlueGen unit is installed in a four bedroom family home in Crest Nicholson's Noble Park development on the outskirts of Epsom, Surrey. This is the UK's first ever installation of a microgeneration certificate scheme (MCS) accredited micro power and heat fuel cell in a new build home, providing power, heating and hot water.

The Crest Nicholson low carbon home demonstrates how new houses can meet the energy efficiency levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, cutting carbon emissions by 44 percent from 2006 Part L Building Regulations levels. In 2016 this requirement for all homes sent to planning increases to "zero carbon", meaning the building fabric of the home and onsite power and heat generation must cut emissions by at least 70 percent from 2006 levels, equivalent to zero net carbon emissions from regulated energy, which is that used for heating, hot water, lighting and building (services) consumption, over the course of a year.

In addition to the energy reduction requirements, the Crest Nicholson home with the BlueGen unit meets all the elements of the 2010 Code for Sustainable Homes level 4, which include design for low water consumption, enhanced ecological protection, Lifetime Homes and Secure by Design criteria.

As part of the AIMC4 Consortium research project, Crest Nicholson has designed the home for high insulation and energy efficiency and low heat losses. The BlueGen is providing all the heat needed for the home - there is no separate boiler or other heating device needed.

The BlueGen product is the only fuel cell product eligible for the UK Feed-In Tariff (FIT), which provides a payment to BlueGen customers for power generated on-site and exported back to the power grid.

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. Each BlueGen unit can save up to four tonnes of carbon per year in low carbon homes. The peak electrical efficiency of BlueGen is up to 60 percent, far higher than any other small scale generating technology in the world. With the added benefit of heat, total efficiency is up to 85 percent and may be even higher in such low energy homes.

The Noble Park homes are being delivered by the "AIMC4" consortium, supported by funding from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board. The AIMC4 consortium is a partnership of UK companies created to pioneer the volume production of low carbon homes, and includes developers Stewart Milne Group, Crest Nicholson PLC,Barratt Developments PLC, H+H UK Ltd and the Building Research Establishment.

Crest Nicholson is one of the UK's leading developers of new homes, building approximately 1,500 new homes each year.

Brendan Dow, Managing Director, Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited, said:

"BlueGen is an advanced technology that is available today. With its high levels of energy efficiency BlueGen provides a clear pathway towards the UK Government's 2016 residential sector targets for all new build houses to be "zero carbon". Demonstrating that BlueGen can provide all the heating for a new home opens up a large market for us, and means BlueGen is not restricted to the market for replacement boilers.

"Crest Nicholson is an exciting partner for Ceramic Fuel Cells and we look forward to sharing a close working relationship as we explore the potential for installing additional BlueGen units at other Crest Nicholson new home developments."

Stephen Stone, Chief Executive, Crest Nicholson, said:

"This is a real first for the UK in terms of introducing fuel cell technology into new homes, and the fact that the technology is now at a point where people can effectively use it in their living environment is something that will bring real consumer benefits.

"The technology works best in energy efficient homes that require very low levels of heating, and this is exactly the case with the AIMC4 homes at Epsom. Not only that, but as part of this pioneering project we will also be carrying out an intensive programme of post-occupancy evaluation, which will provide solid data to help us understand how our customers react to the benefits of fuel cell technology.

"It is a real priority for us to continue to drive Innovation in the delivery of sustainable communities, and we hope that the technology we have installed at Epsom will, through collaboration, lead to volume supply that will ultimately bring down costs and provide an exciting approach to delivering the Government's 2016 zero carbon timeline ambitions."

ENDS

Ceres Power Holdings plc appointment of Investec Bank plc as the Company's Nominated Advisor and Broker

RNS Number : 8157F


20 June 2012
20 June 2012
Ceres Power Holdings plc ("Ceres" or "the Company")
Change of Adviser
Ceres Power Holdings plc (AIM: CWR) is pleased to announce the appointment of Investec Bank plc as the Company's Nominated Advisor and Broker with immediate effect.

("Acta" or "the Company") Publication of Annual Report and Accounts

RNS Number : 7083E
Acta S.p.A.
06 June 2012

 
 Press Release   6 June 2012 
 

Acta S.p.A.
Pursuant to Rule 20 of the AIM Rules for Companies and following release on 29 March 2012 of its preliminary results for the year to 31 December 2011, the Company announces that copies of the Annual Report and Accounts and AGM Notice have been published and will be available shortly on the Company's website at www.actagroup.it.
Following the shareholders' consent obtained in 2009 to limit the documentation sent by the Company to its shareholders, the AGM documentation will not be circulated to shareholders unless requested. Those shareholders wishing to receive the Annual Report and Accounts and AGM Notice by post may contact the Company at the details below to receive a copy.
- ENDS-

BlueGen units to be used in Virtual Power Plant Project in The Netherlands

19 June 2012

Tuesday 19 June 2012

View a Bluegen overview here

BlueGen units to be used in Virtual Power Plant Project in The Netherlands

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 a project in The Netherlands to create a Virtual Power Plant using Ceramic Fuel Cells' BlueGen gas-to-electricity generators.

BlueGen units are planned to be installed with customers across the Netherlands to create a new community of distributed energy producers, connected through the internet and operated as a Virtual Power Plant.

Ceramic Fuel Cells is supporting its distribution partner BlueGeneration that is working on the project with Liander and IBM. This team will start designing a platform on which the Virtual Power Plant can run. During the design phase BlueGeneration, Liander and IBM will design the technical requirements and define the use cases for the platform.

Liander is a Dutch regional network operator, distributing electricity to 3.0 million customers and gas to 2.3 million customers in a large part of the Netherlands. IBM will provide the necessary system integration to control the BlueGen units remotely. IBM's extensive experience in the field of Smart Grids enables the collaboration to implement and scale up the platform.

The project partners have entered the first phase of the project, with three BlueGen units installed with energy consultants' KIWA Gastec for testing at their facilities in Apeldoorn. The aim is to test the compatibility with the designed systems and to have a closed and regulated environment for the first tests. During this test phase of approximately one year the influence of extreme modulation cycles will also be examined as well as the impact for the grid operator.

The tests at Kiwa began in April 2012. The partners are currently developing the Virtual Power Plant design, and intend to scale up the project in the second half of this calendar year and into 2013.

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.

By incorporating the Virtual Power Plant in Lianders' Smart Grid, Liander will be able to locally balance the demand and supply of electricity. The end customers will benefit from lower energy costs.

Ceramic Fuel Cells' Managing Director Brendan Dow said:

"Clearly, energy generation systems of the future will involve projects like this. We are delighted that companies like Liander and IBM, as well as our partner BlueGeneration, have seen the benefit of pursuing this virtual power plant, which has our highly-efficient BlueGen units as its cornerstone."

Peter van der Sluijs, Liander said:

"In the future we expect more and more customers to produce their own power and coordinate their energy use locally. Virtual power plants are a big step towards more sustainable energy system where local generation has a critical role."

Matthijs Guichelaar of BlueGeneration said:

"This project is the example of how future flows of energy and IT can provide a solid base for renewable and distributed generation. The flexibility of the BlueGen and its high efficient electricity production makes it a very suitable component for the new Smart Grid. When the usage of biogas becomes available, the system will also be carbon neutral. This enables the agricultural sector to efficiently convert their biogas into electricity."

The BlueGen product uses ceramic fuel cells to turn natural gas into electricity and heat for hot water, with each unit capable of producing more than three times the electricity needed to power the average Dutch home. (In The Netherlands an average home consumes an estimated 3,500 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.)

Surplus electricity can be sold back to the grid or used in supplementary applications such as charging electric cars, as well as having the additional benefit of providing heat for domestic hot water use. BlueGen units generate electricity with the highest electrical efficiency of any small scale generating technology in the world, reducing energy bills and cutting carbon emissions.

In the Netherlands customers are allowed to export electricity to the grid when they have a surplus and take it back from the grid later when they need it without being charged with energy tax on this energy. This tax-free interchange has a maximum of 5000 kWh per year.

According to a report from US analyst firm Pike Research, virtual power plant capacity will increase by 65 percent between 2011 and 2017, rising from 55.6 gigawatts (GW) to 91.7 GW worldwide during that period. In a more aggressive forecast scenario, the capacity growth is up to 126 percent during the same period.

Releasing the report in November 2011, Pike Research senior analyst Peter Asmus said: "Virtual power plants essentially represent an 'Internet of Energy', tapping existing grid networks to tailor electricity supply and demand services for a customer. They maximize value for both the end user and distribution utility, primarily through software innovations."(1)

ENDS