LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.,
June 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The
ribbon has been cut and Air Products' (NYSE: APD) hydrogen and
fueling station technology is now onstream and will daily power
Sysco Corporation's (NYSE: SYY) fleet of nearly 100 hydrogen fueled
pallet trucks and forklifts operating at Sysco's new 585,000 square
foot food service distribution facility in Houston, Texas. The facility and
hydrogen powered material handling equipment was showcased to
business leaders and government representatives today at a Sysco
event.
"We have installed hydrogen fueling stations and infrastructure
around the world. The material handling market continues to
show growing interest in converting to hydrogen powered fuel cell
equipment. This is a leading edge decision that was made, and
Sysco should be commended," said Nick
Mittica, commercial manager–Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air
Products. Details on Air Products' hydrogen fueling station
technologies are provided at www.airproducts.com/h2energy.
This cost-shared hydrogen fuel cell project includes a grant
provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the
U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Fuel Cell Technology Program.
This facility is Sysco's first greenfield installation
without battery infrastructure for a material handling fleet.
Air Products' fueling infrastructure at Sysco includes an
outdoor liquid hydrogen storage and compression system, along with
multiple indoor fueling dispensers for operator refueling.
Air Products will fuel the fleet of pallet and reach trucks
fitted with Plug Power's (Nasdaq: PLUG) GenDrive™ 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.
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 over 300 material handling vehicles including: fuel
cell powered pallet trucks at Wegmans Retail Service Center in
Pottsville, Pa.; fuel cell powered
lift trucks at Central Grocers' new distribution center in
Joliet, Ill.; hydrogen fuel cell
powered forklifts at Nestlé 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 for the
purpose of demonstrating 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 at several individual
sites 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 Inc.
The architects of modern fuel cell technology, Plug Power
revolutionized the industry with cost-effective power solutions
that increase productivity, lower operating costs and reduce carbon
footprints. Long-standing relationships with industry leaders
forged the path for our key accounts, including Sysco, Wegmans,
Whole Foods, and FedEx Freight. With more than 1,000 units in
the field and over 1.5 million hours of runtime, Plug Power
manufactures tomorrow's incumbent power solutions today. Visit us
at www.plugpower.com.
About Sysco
Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and
distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and
educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers
who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also
includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality
industries. The company operates 186 distribution facilities
serving approximately 400,000 customers. For the fiscal year
2009 that ended June 27, 2009, the
company generated more than $36
billion in sales.
Sysco Houston's distribution
facility is at 10710 Greens Crossing Boulevard in North Houston.
For more information about Sysco visit www.sysco.com.
***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements.
Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current
expectations.
SOURCE Air Products