LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.,
Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Air
Products' (NYSE: APD) introduces another novel fueling supply
concept as the industry leader in hydrogen fueling technology
tomorrow when it officially begins commercial fueling of a fleet of
25 hydrogen-powered forklifts at Kimberly-Clark Corporation's
(NYSE: KMB) 450,000-square-foot distribution facility in
Graniteville, S.C. The
facility, located in Sage Mill Industrial Park, is managed by
GENCO ATC, North America's second largest and a Global
Top 50 third-party logistics provider.
The hydrogen fueling station and its location allows several
parties to benefit from the alternative energy effort and establish
the nation's first multi-use industrial park fueling station to
supply hydrogen from a single supply source directly for
industrial, commercial and government use. In addition to
GENCO ATC, Kimberly-Clark and Air
Products, project members also included Plug Power Inc. (Nasdaq:
PLUG) and the Aiken-Edgefield Economic Development Partnership.
Aiken County government in South
Carolina will use the fueling station to fuel two hydrogen
powered shuttle bus vehicles and a hydrogen-powered pick-up truck
as part of its local transportation system.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony and technology demonstration will
take place inside the Kimberly-Clark facility on Friday, February 11, 2011 at 11 a.m. and will feature several speakers.
"This project is a great example of how hydrogen fueling
stations can benefit multiple users and differing types of vehicles
at the same time. In real estate the saying is, 'location,
location, location' -- and in this instance the location enables
multiple parties to fill vehicles from a single supply system, and
also provides the potential for other parties in this industrial
park to tie into the station's hydrogen supply. All parties
involved in this project should be pleased with this infrastructure
model and we thank Kimberly-Clark, GENCO and the Economic
Development Partnership for their leadership roles," said
Bruce Luff, business development
manager for Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products.
Luff added that Air Products' hydrogen fueling technology is
currently being used to fuel over 750 material handling vehicles at
several locations in the United
States. Details on Air Products' portfolio of hydrogen
fueling station technologies are provided at:
www.airproducts.com/h2energy.
"GENCO ATC is committed to green
technology initiatives that are viable, equitable and sustainable
for our customers and our company," said Herb Shear, chairman and CEO, GENCO ATC. "Hydrogen fuel cells represent
the best in energy innovation as a sustainable, productive and
clean alternative to lead-acid batteries."
The fueling station and hydrogen fuel cells that power the
forklifts and vehicles were made possible through the use of
$1.1 million of a $6.1 million cost-share award to GENCO ATC by the U.S. Department of Energy
through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help
accelerate the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cells.
"Kimberly-Clark is constantly looking for innovative ways to
minimize the impact of our operations on the environment," said
Rick Sather, vice president of
Customer Supply Chain at Kimberly-Clark. "We are pleased to
partner with GENCO ATC, Plug Power
and Air Products to help expand hydrogen fuel cell technology to
our entire forklift fleet. This energy technology can reduce our
carbon emissions by hundreds of metric tons per year, lower costs
and drive efficiencies to power our operations."
The supply chain industry estimates that annual greenhouse gas
emissions created by an average 20-truck lead acid battery-powered
forklift fleet can be reduced by hundreds of tons a year simply by
converting to fuel cell-powered equipment. By using hydrogen fuel
cells instead of lead-acid batteries, greenhouse gases can be
reduced by over 90 percent, according to customer consumption
estimates.
Air Products will fuel the fleet of forklifts which are fitted
with Plug Power's 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 forklift.
There are many advantages to using hydrogen-powered forklifts
and other material handling equipment. While 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 is refueled only once or twice daily, depending on use,
and does not require change-out downtime. Hydrogen fuel
cell-powered equipment provides consistent power strength during
use and does not experience decreased performance or wear down as
traditional battery units do as they near a required battery
change-out or recharge time. Additionally, unlike traditional
battery operated forklifts, hydrogen fuel cell forklifts are not
adversely impacted by temperature or by operating in coolers and
freezers. Further, hydrogen-powered fuel cell equipment is more
environmentally friendly and does not involve lead-acid battery
storage and disposal issues.
Air Products, the leading supplier of hydrogen to refineries to
assist in the production of cleaner burning transportation fuels,
has unique experience in the hydrogen fueling industry. These
varied fueling applications provide an opportunity to assess
consumer experiences, evaluate product performance and advance
product improvements. In fact, in certain market
applications, fueling rates at several individual sites of over
10,000 refills per year are occurring. The company has placed
over 120 hydrogen fueling stations in the
United States and 19 countries worldwide. Cars,
trucks, vans, buses, scooters, forklifts, locomotives, planes, cell
towers, material handling equipment, and even submarines have been
fueled with trend-setting technologies that involve Air Products'
know-how, equipment and hydrogen. Use of the company's
technology is increasing and is currently over 275,000 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 can be 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 2010, Air Products had revenues of
$9 billion, operations in over 40
countries, and 18,300 employees around the globe. For more
information, visit www.airproducts.com.
About GENCO ATC
GENCO ATC is North America's 2nd largest and a Global Top
50 third-party logistics provider and the recognized leader in
reverse logistics. The company manages 124 operations and 37
million square feet of warehouse space throughout North America for a diverse range of retail,
manufacturing and government customers, including many Fortune
500 companies. As the industry's most innovative product
lifecycle logistics provider, GENCO
ATC provides a complete range of solutions, including
forward logistics, transportation logistics, parcel negotiation and
audits, reverse logistics, consumer electronics test & repair,
product remarketing, damage research, pharmaceutical services,
government logistics and operations management, supply chain
technology and automotive remanufacturing. For more
information, visit www.gencoatc.com.
About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an
indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries.
Every day, 1.3 billion people - nearly a quarter of the world's
population - trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to
enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as
Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark
holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries.
To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the
company's 139-year history of innovation, visit
www.Kimberly-Clark.com.
About Plug Power
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 Wegmans, Whole
Foods, and FedEx Freight. With more than 1,000 units in the
field and over 2 million hours of runtime, Plug Power manufactures
tomorrow's incumbent power solutions today. Visit us at
www.plugpower.com.
***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements
within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are
based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of
the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual
performance and financial results may differ materially from
projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking
statements because of many factors not anticipated by management,
including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its
fiscal year ended September 30,
2010.
SOURCE Air Products