Member Article

Fuel cells a force for the future

A breakthrough in fuel cell technology could help energise the North East economy thanks to a £1.6 million funding round. ACAL Energy Ltd will use the investment to develop its low temperature fuel cell cathode technology, FlowCath. The system could mean that compact fuel cells can replace conventional lithium ion batteries in portable electronic equipment, helping to improve runtimes.

The new fuel cells will be able to operate up to five times longer than current limits. They are also cheaper, because they remove the need for precious metals used in other low temperature fuel cell systems. FlowCath cells could meet the increasing demands of power-hungry devices such as laptops, mobile phones and media players. Just like batteries, fuel cells use an electrochemical system to convert chemical energy into electricity. Unlike batteries, they use an external source of fuel, meaning they can be instantly recharged.

Andrew Creeth, Managing Director of ACAL said: “This investment and being part of the North East cluster will enable to us to continue to tap into the increasing level of competency in fuel cells located in the region. It is essential for a company like ours to leverage this type of experience in order to accelerate our growth and development.”

ACAL Energy is a member of the NorthEast Fuel Cells Cluster, working in particular with the fuel cell experts at the University of Newcastle and the Centre for Process Innovation.�

Graham Hillier, director of Fuel Cell Applications at the Centre for Process Innovation said: “We are pleased that ACAL is joining the rapidly growing fuel cell community in the North East of England. The innovative technology they have developed has the potential to make significant improvements in the cost and performance of fuel cells for a range of applications. We are pleased to be able to help them bring their technology to market.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .