Fuel Cells In The Warehouse!

May 28th, 2014

How much do you know about fuel cells and what they could mean to your business?

Today’s post is by Mark Davis; Sr. Vice President and COO at SafeSourcing.

Hydrogen fuel cells are one of the hottest new technologies on the market today.  This technology captures the electrical energy from a chemical reaction such as hydrogen and while it was introduced in 1838, the practical application is just beginning to pique with major retailers and manufacturers planning on increasing their use over the next few decades.  Today’s blog will look at a few of the current applications corporations are looking to so that they can leverage the advantages of fuel cells.

Warehouse Equipment – Warehouse equipment that has been configured to be powered by fuel cells instead of traditional batteries is growing.  Companies like Wal-Mart, Procter and Gamble and Mercedes are all committing to long term use of fuel cell technology with agreements to purchase new technology that will reduce costs and increase overall power at their disposal.   A recent study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory stated that Total Cost of Ownership even with current technology costs can be reduced from 5-10% and that will increase as the cost of this technology gets cheaper and cheaper to manufacture.

Backup Power – Backup power grids can be critical for hospitals, businesses and retailers and even more so in areas of the country prone to hurricanes, snowstorms and tornados.  Traditional supplementary sources can be effective but since they are powered by fuel that can also be difficult to obtain in a natural disaster, more and more organizations are looking to fuel cell technology to augment or replace their current backup power grid.  Originally designed for NASA equipment for remote application, the development of closed loop fuel cells can use air and solar power to provide a backup “off-the grid” power solution that does not depend on outside fuels.

Employee Vehicles – It seems like the next big thing in the auto industry is the emergence of Electric Vehicles, however all news reports state that major manufacturers are moving away from Electric Vehicles towards hydrogen fuel based on cost and based on newly 0% emissions and on a solution that has more long range power and efficiency.  Currently Toyota is leading this charge but manufacturers like Honda and Hyundai are also committing long term to hydrogen fuel cell development.  The potential to develop a closed loop vehicle with little to no need of fossil fuel is the eventual goal and one which would clearly change the landscape of business and logistics across the world.

For more information on how SafeSourcing can assist you in exploring fuel cell solutions for your business or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative.  We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.

We look forward to your comments.

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