BURNABY, BC, Aug 11, 2010 /PRNewswire



It's the size of a tractor trailer, it's on wheels and completely transportable, with the capacity to power a small town. And now the world's largest hydrogen fuel cell - one of the world's cleanest and greenest sources of energy - will soon be on its way from Burnaby, B.C., to Eastlake, Ohio for a five year trial run - the first ever deployment of its kind. The media are invited to see this remarkable powerhouse-on-wheels for themselves this Thursday before it leaves for Ohio.

The deal between Ballard Power Systems and Ohio's FirstEnergy Generation Corp will allow the U.S. utility to activate this fuel cell generator - known as CLEARgen(TM) and based on Ballard's proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology - during periods of peak demand, taking strain off the power grid and ensuring uninterrupted power to customers during the summer when demand is highest. The fuel cell system is capable of generating up to one megawatt of power - enough to power 500 homes on its own.

"It's a huge leap forward and a significant first for Ballard," said Michael Goldstein, Ballard's Chief Commercial Officer. "More importantly, we believe this deal helps ensure that fuel cell technology will be an integral part of the clean energy solution identified as a priority by President Obama."

Because fuel cells use hydrogen to generate electricity - producing only heat and water as by-products - they are a far more environmentally-friendly means of generating power than diesel or coal. And because the Ballard generator is transportable, it can be relocated to other sites on a seasonal basis.

Not only is Ballard's CLEARgen(TM) useful for utilities, it can also provide a clean energy solution to remote communities in Canada and around the world, which are too far from the electrical grid and forced to rely on noisy, dirty diesel generators for power.

It's also capable of running off by-product hydrogen from chemical plants to generate clean electricity for sale to the power grid or to power the plant. That's exactly what Ballard will now be doing with K2 Pure Solutions at their bleach plant in California.

Ballard fuel cells are also powering zero-emission bus fleets, providing backup power solutions to cell phone companies in Canada and around the world and powering fleets of forklift trucks at major distribution centres.

Media Event

The media are invited to tour the world's biggest hydrogen fuel cell generator on Thursday, August 12th. Michael Goldstein, Ballard's Chief Commercial Officer, will also be on hand for interviews.

Quotes

"It's a huge leap forward and a significant first for Ballard," said Michael Goldstein, Ballard's Chief Commercial Officer. "More importantly, we believe this deal helps ensure that fuel cell technology will be an integral part of the clean energy solution identified as a priority by President Obama."

About Ballard

Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLD; NASDAQ: BLDP) provides clean energy fuel cell products enabling optimized power systems for a range of applications. To learn more about Ballard, please visit Ballard.

About FirstEnergy

FirstEnergy Generation Corp. is a subsidiary of Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), the fifth largest investor-owned electric system in the U.S., with 4.5 million customers. To learn more about FirstEnergy, please visit FirstEnergy Generation Corp.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

CONTACT: Media Contacts: Catharine Reid, 604.412.3135, catharine.reid@ballard.com; Guy McAree, 604.412.7919, guy.mcaree@ballard.com

SOURCE Ballard Power Systems Inc.

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