Jan. 25, 2013: Parker Hannifin Reaches Agreement with WATT Fuel Cell to Produce Fuel Cell Products
Combining Parker’s expertise in controls, fluid management, and product development with WATT’s fuel cell technology, the agreement gives Parker exclusive license to WATT Fuel Cell’s low-cost balance-of-plant (BoP) technology and exclusive stack supply. Parker will manufacture the BoP and controls and also integrate the fuel cell stacks into complete, packaged SOFC products.
“This agreement between Parker and WATT is a definitive step towards making fuel cells a reality for everyday commercial use,” said Dr. Caine Finnerty, president of WATT Fuel Cell. “Melding Parker’s longstanding expertise in motion and control technologies and systems, and extensive market access, with WATT’s economically scalable fuel cell products allows the combined strengths of both companies to shine.”
“Parker has been a key player in the subsystem and components aspects of the fuel cell industry for more than a decade now,” said Steve Knight, Parker Energy Systems business unit manager. “We’re very excited to be integrating WATT’s technologies into our own fuel cell-based products focused on applications that are well-suited to leverage the quiet, lightweight and environmentally friendly benefits of fuel cells. We are currently focused on design verification, testing, and certification as we prepare for select OEM testing in the near future.
“Cost and reliability have long been barriers to entry for a commercially viable fuel cell based product,” Knight said. “WATT Fuel Cell’s technologies were selected by Parker due to their cost-effective manufacturability, reliability, and overall suitability to commercial markets, particularly their ability to run on readily available fuels.”
“We are very excited with the results of our initial 500-watt system tests with Parker Hannifin,” said Paul DeWald, director of systems for WATT Fuel Cell. “The momentum from this success has continued into our recent demonstration of a 1-kilowatt power output on propane fuel. Doubling the capacity of our technology in just four weeks, we’ve substantially widened the markets we can address.”
For more information about Parker Hannifin, visit www.parker.com. For additional information about WATT Fuel Cell, visit www.wattfuelcell.com.
Publication date: 1/21/2013
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