LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.,
April 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
The produce at Wegmans Retail Service Center (RSC) just got
greener. Wegmans, a supermarket chain leader and innovator,
has launched a fleet of 50 hydrogen fuel cell-powered pallet trucks
using Air Products' (NYSE: APD) hydrogen and hydrogen fueling
station technology at its Pottsville,
Pa. warehouse to move produce on a daily basis for shipment
to its stores in a five state area. The warehouse
installation is the first commercial site in Pennsylvania to use this advanced technology
to move consumer goods using hydrogen-powered material handling
equipment.
"We've commissioned hydrogen infrastructure projects all over
the world and for the material handling market at several U.S.
locations, but this marks a milestone for the Commonwealth and is
the first commercial operation in our home state. The
hydrogen economy has arrived in Pennsylvania and Wegmans' Pottsville warehouse will be a showcase site
to demonstrate the benefits of hydrogen fueling for the lift
industry," said Dave Taylor, vice
president, Energy Businesses at Air Products. "There was a
team involved in this project, including the public and private
sector, and all should be commended for their efforts."
Taylor noted the support of Congressman Tim Holden, Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection Secretary John
Hanger, State Senator Dave
Argall, State Representative Neal
Goodman, and Frank Zukas,
President of the Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation, in
helping to make this project a reality.
Dave Allar, Wegmans' RSC
maintenance manager, had been anxious for this changeover to
hydrogen to arrive, as were employees at the Pottsville facility. "Our folks tested
the equipment early last year and could immediately see what it
would mean to equipment performance and productivity." Allar
compared the experience of converting to hydrogen-powered equipment
to that of driving a car. "Whether a gas tank is full or down
to a quarter-tank, a car will travel at 60 mph. Not so
when battery power is used, performance diminishes as the battery
discharges," he said.
Beyond productivity improvements, Wegmans also pointed to the
environmental benefits of the changeover. A hydrogen fuel
cell produces energy through an electrochemical reaction.
Because hydrogen is the fuel source, heat and water are the
only byproducts. "We are always looking for ways to improve
our sustainability," said David
DeMascole, general manager–Pottsville Distribution Facility
for Wegmans. "There is also pride associated with being the
first in Pennsylvania.
Wegmans tries to be on the cutting edge for our industry.
To have this opportunity with new hydrogen fuel cell lifts is
great. We are proud of what we can achieve for our
environment, community and employees."
Partial funding for the project was received at federal and
state levels. In April 2009 the
United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced a funding
program for fuel cell technology to expand use of clean and
renewable energy sources to reduce America's dependence on foreign
oil. DOE said these efforts will accelerate the
commercialization and deployment of fuel cells and will create jobs
in fuel cell manufacturing, installation, maintenance and support
services. The effort is designed to improve the potential of
fuel cells to provide power in stationary, portable and specialty
vehicle applications, while cutting carbon emissions and broadening
our nation's clean energy technology portfolio. The project
also received a $1 million grant from
the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority.
Air Products' fueling infrastructure at Wegmans includes an
outdoor liquid hydrogen storage and compression system, along with
multiple indoor fueling dispensers for operator refueling.
Details on Air Products' hydrogen fueling station
technologies are provided at www.airproducts.com/h2energy.
Air Products will fuel the fleet of pallet trucks all fitted
with Plug Power's (Nasdaq: PLUG) GenDrive(TM) hydrogen fuel cell
power units. The GenDrive systems can be quickly refueled in
less than five minutes, completely eliminating the need to change,
store, charge and maintain multiple lead acid batteries per lift
truck. Wegmans hopes to convert its entire lift truck fleet
at the Pottsville facility to
hydrogen fuel cells over the next few years. To this point,
Wegmans' material handling equipment was all powered with lead acid
batteries.
There are many advantages to using hydrogen-powered forklifts
and other material handling equipment. Hydrogen fuel
cell-powered equipment needs refueling once or twice daily,
depending on use. In contrast, traditional battery-powered
equipment must be placed temporarily out of operation for battery
replacement and required battery recharging approximately every
four to six hours. Hydrogen fuel cell-powered equipment
provides consistent power strength during use and does not
experience decreased performance or wear down as traditional
lead-acid battery units do as they near a required battery change
out or recharge time. Additionally, hydrogen fuel cell
forklifts are not adversely impacted by temperature or by operating
in coolers and freezers, in comparison to traditional battery
performance. Further, hydrogen-powered fuel cell equipment is
more environmentally friendly because it does not involve lead-acid
battery storage and disposal issues.
Air Products' hydrogen fueling technology is currently being
used to fuel approximately 300 material handling vehicles
including: fuel cell powered lift trucks at Central Grocers' new
distribution center in Joliet,
Ill.; hydrogen fuel cell powered forklifts at Nestle Waters
North America in Dallas, Tex.;
hydrogen fuel cell powered forklifts at the Defense Distribution
Depot Susquehanna Pennsylvania in New
Cumberland, Pa.; as well as hydrogen fuel cell powered
forklifts at several other customers in the United States. In addition, mobile
fueling equipment unique and patented by Air Products has been and
continues to be deployed to a variety of customers to demonstrate
the technology in real world conditions.
Air Products, the leading hydrogen supplier to refineries to
assist in making cleaner burning transportation fuels, has unique
experience in the hydrogen fueling industry. In fact, in
certain market applications, fueling rates of over 10,000 refills
per year are occurring. These applications provide an
opportunity to assess consumer experiences, evaluate product
performance and advance product improvements. The company has
placed over 110 hydrogen fueling stations in the United States and 18 countries
worldwide. Cars, trucks, vans, buses, scooters, forklifts,
locomotives, planes, cell towers, material handling equipment, and
even submarines have been fueled with this trend-setting technology
that involves Air Products' know-how, equipment and hydrogen.
Use of the company's technology is increasing and is
currently at 175,000 hydrogen fills per year.
Air Products has more than 50 years of hydrogen experience and
is on the forefront of hydrogen energy technology development.
Air Products has an extensive patent portfolio with over 50
patents in hydrogen dispensing technology. Air Products
provides liquid and gaseous hydrogen, and HCNG (hydrogen/compressed
natural gas) fueling, and has developed a variety of enabling
devices and protocols for fuel dispensing at varied
pressures. Hydrogen for these stations is delivered to a site
via truck, produced by natural gas reformation, biomass conversion,
or by electrolysis, including electrolysis that is solar and wind
driven.
About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in industrial, energy,
technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio
of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance
materials, and equipment and services. Founded in 1940,
Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets
such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare
services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and
adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative
culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the
environment. In fiscal 2009, Air Products had revenues of
$8.3 billion, operations in over 40
countries, and 18,900 employees around the globe. For more
information, visit www.airproducts.com.
About Plug Power
Plug Power Inc., an established leader in the development and
deployment of clean, reliable energy solutions, integrates fuel
cell technology into motive, continuous and backup power products.
The Company is actively engaged with private and public
customers in targeted markets throughout the world. For more
information about how to join Plug Power's energy revolution as an
investor, customer, supplier or strategic partner, please visit
www.plugpower.com.
About Wegmans
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 75-store supermarket chain with
stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Virginia, and
Maryland. The family-owned company, founded in 1916, is
recognized as an industry leader and innovator. Wegmans has
been named one of the '100 Best Companies to Work For' by FORTUNE
magazine for 13 consecutive years. In 2010, Wegmans ranked #3
on the list. For more information please visit
www.wegmans.com.
In addition to its Retail Service Center, Wegmans now operates
13 stores in Pennsylvania, with
plans for 2 more in the future. One of the future stores will
open in Malvern, Pa., later this
year. Wegmans has approximately 7,000 employees in the state
of Pennsylvania.
***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements.
Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current
expectations.
SOURCE Air Products