UK Fuel Cell Projects Get Funding Increase from Technology Board

Technology Strategy Board, which is state-run by the UK government, announced Sunday that it would make a  £9 million investment designed to jump start nine different fuel cell and hydrogen projects. The already proposed projects are also anticipating another £8 million from private funding through various companies.

The Technology Strategy Board, which is headquartered in Swindon, Wiltshire, operates as an investment company which provides funding for projects centered around developing new technologies and making those new technologies on a commercial scale. ACAL Energy is expected to be a participant in the projects providing up to £1.9 million to help develop fuel cell technology aimed at being low-cost, and platinum free.

ACAL, based in Cheshire, mostly develops proton exchange membrane (PEM) based fuel cell technology. The company claimed that their new fuel cell technology can reduce the percentage of platinum required by considerable amounts. Platinum, which is considered a rare metal can be expensive to work with, although it is useful in hydrogen fuel cells to increase chemical reaction speed.

ACAL had announced earlier in the year that they had benefited from funding from SC Green Tech Ventures, although the financial details of the funding were never released. Additionally the company had received other funding from investors including Honda Motors based in Japan. 

Intelligent Energy is also expected to spearhead one of the Technology Strategy Board projects in which the company will develop a more efficient fuel cell for electric vehicles. More specific information regarding the other seven projects to be funded by the Technology Strategy Board were not released to the public.