Ceramic Fuel Cells' BlueGen gas-to-electricity technology wins Microgeneration UK 2011 Technical InnovationAward Thursday 23 June 2011

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited

23 June 2011

Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited, [AIM/ASX:CFU] a leading developer of high efficiency and low emission electricity generation units for homes and other buildings, today announced its BlueGen gas-to-electricity unit has won the Microgeneration UK 2011 Technical Innovation Award, announced at the culmination of the Microgeneration UK 2011 conference in London.

Microgeneration UK 2011 - which brings together policymakers, investors, suppliers and customers - celebrates the best of the UK microgeneration industry. It is run by Micropower Council, the British Photovoltaic Association and the British Heating and Hot Water Industry Council.

The Technical Innovation Award, one of five categories, was announced at a gala dinner on Tuesday 21 June in London and was presented by Baroness Maddock of Christchurch, President of the Micropower Council.

Baroness Maddock said: "CFCL is playing a key role in pioneering technology that can help provide a source of cleaner, more efficient, low cost energy. Currently collaborating with multiple partners across the globe to help bring cleaner electricity, CFCL is a great example of how innovation within the microgeneration sector can deliver tangible benefits."

Brendan Dow, Managing Director of Ceramic Fuel Cells, said: "We are thrilled to accept this prestigious award, and are delighted that our ground-breaking technology has been recognised by Microgeneration UK 2011. More and more Ceramic Fuel Cells is being recognised as a world leader in the development of fuel cell technology to provide reliable, low-emission electricity from widely available natural gas."

In May 2011, BlueGen won both the 2010-11 'CEO Award' - Dupont Australia and New Zealand's most prestigious innovation award - as well as the 'Design for a Sustainable Future' award, one of seven categories at the biennial DuPont Australia & New Zealand Innovation Awards.

BlueGen 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 United Kingdom home. Surplus electricity can be exported back to the power grid. BlueGen also provides heat for domestic hot water use. BlueGen units operate constantly, generating 1.5 kilowatts of electricity plus heat for hot water, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of weather.

BlueGen has the highest electrical efficiency of any small-scale power generation system in the world, reducingenergy bills as well as making significant carbon savings.

For further information please contact:

     Ceramic Fuel Cells     Andrew Neilson                      Tel: +613 9554 2300                                         Email: investor@cfcl.com.au       Nomura Code Securities (AIM         Tel: +44 (0) 207 776      Nomad)                              1200     Juliet Thompson, Chris Golden 

British Gas profits rose by 24% to a record £742m last year

British Gas has ignited customer criticism after reporting its profits rose by 24% to a record £742m last year.


The announcement was made two months after the company raised prices by 7%, during the worst winter in a century.
Around eight million British Gas customers were affected by the December 10 increase, and saw their average annual bills rise from £1,157 to £1,239.
Adam Scorer of Consumer Focus told Sky News: "Millions of households are suffering from fuel poverty which is when 10% of their income goes on the cost of keeping warm and powering the lights."
"I think when consumers see the size of these profits you can expect them to be somewhere on the spectrum from very frustrated to outraged."
Centrica Share Price 1-Year Chart


Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica - which owns British Gas - said the energy industry was in a volatile situation with commodity prices, but his company would do all it could to keep bills as low as possible.
He said British Gas would help reduce bills by providing free loft or cavity insulation to customers who buy its electricity as well as its gas.
But speaking to Sky News, British Gas' managing director Phil Bentley seemed to open up the offer to all customers - not just those who were "first in, first served".
But a company spokesman later clarified his comments by saying any customer could apply for free loft or cavity wall insulation as long as they did so online before the end of May.

British Gas is part of the energy giant Centrica
The offer was also limited to 200,000 households, the company said.
British Gas added 270,000 customers last year and is the UK's biggest gas supplier with 16 million customer accounts.
It is owned by energy giant Centrica which also revealed record figures, with its operating profits up by 29% at £2.4bn.
Centrica says recent prices increases were down to soaring wholesale prices.
The company also claims British Gas prices were 0.5% lower at the end of 2010 than at the start of the year after the supplier cut bills by 7% in February.
Ofgem, the energy watchdog, is leading an investigation into the energy giants' balance sheets after discovering average profit margins had increased as companies claimed they had no choice but to lift bills.

Ceres commences Wall Hung Fuel Cell Boiler Trial 19th February 2011

Fuel cell manufacturer, Ceres Power Holdings plc has commenced commercial field trials of its wall‐mounted Combined Heat and Power (CHP) boiler in occupied homes.

Following receipt of European type approval, an operating fuel cell CHP product generating heat and power has now been installed in the family home of a British Gas customer in South East England. The field trials programme will continue throughout 2011 and into 2012 with Ceres' CHP products being deployed in a wide range of homes across the UK. In addition, there is an extensive on‐going testing programme of CHP products and components at the Ceres' test facilities.

The first wave of CHP products is being installed in consumers' homes during the first quarter of 2011, with the second wave of products incorporating valuable in‐field experience to follow six months later. The final wave of at least 150 field trial CHP products will take place in 2012 to test the Company's ability to scale‐up for initial product sales and volume launch with British Gas.

The Ceres Power fuel cell CHP product operates on mains natural gas and can generate all of the heating and hot water and the majority of the electricity needs of a typical UK home.

The CHP boilers for the field trials are being manufactured using volume‐capable processes, with the fuel cells at the heart of the product being produced at the Ceres factory in Horsham, whilst CHP boiler assembly is taking place in Holland.

Peter Bance, Chief Executive Officer of Ceres Power, says "We have made enormous progress in the development of our product over the past few months and the start of commercial field trials is a major milestone in Ceres Power's development. I am delighted that our unique wall‐ mounted fuel cell CHP product is now being installed in consumers' homes and look forward to selling the product in conjunction with British Gas."

The field trials are being conducted in partnership with British Gas. Under the contract with Ceres Power, British Gas is paying £5 million to the Company in staged milestone payments and has also placed a forward order to purchase in aggregate a minimum of 37,500 CHP products on an escalating basis. Ceres Power will give an update on its British Gas residential CHP programme at the Company's Interim Results to be presented next month.

Feb 17 (Reuters) - Power Assets Holdings Ltd (0006.HK) is considering a 3.5 billion pound ($5.6 billion) bid for British power network assets of Germany's E.ON AG's (EONGn.DE) (EONG.AS), although no decision has been made, local newspapers reported on Thursday.

The company, part of the business empire of tycoon Li Ka-shing, changed its name from Hongkong Electric Holdings Ltd on Wednesday to reflect the growing importance of its overseas business, including a stake in Britain's second-largest power grid.

Managing director Tso Kai-sum said the company, controlled by Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Ltd (CKI) (1038.HK), "was studying bidding documents", the South China Morning Post reported.

Tso declined to say whether it would team up with CKI to bid for the assets. Power Assets and CKI are both under Li's ports-to-telecoms conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Ltd (0013.HK). They teamed up last year to buy EDF Energy. Plc's (EDF.PA) British network for 5.775 billion pounds.

Li was one of more than two bidders still in the race for the asset and E.ON was keen to complete the transaction in the first quarter, a source familiar with the deal told Reuters last month. [ID:nTOE70N024] (Reporting by Alison Leung; Editing by Chris Lewis)