September 2004

E-Mail This Article Printer-Friendly Version Standing Tall: Toronto’s first hydrogen fueling station, built by Hydrogenics Corp. and powered by a Dutch wind turbine, was inaugurated during the city’s annual Canadian National Exhibition in late August.

TORONTO - Canada’s first electric railway was shown here in 1884 at the Canadian National Exhibition. And the country’s first closed-circuit color TV network made its debut here in 1964.

Last month, it was hydrogen’s turn. The first pieces of hardware were unveiled on CNE’s “Green Day,” Aug. 24, for the city’s gestating “Hydrogen Village” on the grounds of the 100-year-old fairground extravaganza on Toronto’s waterfront during the 18 days leading up to Labor Day.

A towering 750 kW wind turbine, manufactured by Holland’s Lagerwey company, Barneveld, generates the electricity that drives an electrolyzer to produce hydrogen, the first of four projects undertaken by Toronto’s Hydrogenics Corp.,a developer of hydrogen and fuel cell systems, for the Hydrogen Village.

The company’s “Hydrolyzer” refueler at Exhibition Place is the city’s first hydrogen refueling station. The system can generate about 65 kg of hydrogen per day, enough to fuel up to 20 light duty vehicles, the company said. Three hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles will be cruising the fairgrounds on hydrogen: a forklift made by Nacco Materials Handling Group, Portland, OR and powered by a Hydrogenics HyPM 10 fuel cell; a John Deere commercial work vehicle, and a GEM two-seater neighborhood vehicle.

Four Projects During Next Two Years

Total value of the four projects - fuel cell-powered work vehicles, the refueling station, a backup power generator, and a hybrid fuel cell/battery delivery van to be operated by the Purolator Courier parcel delivery service - is more than Can. $10 million, Hydrogenics said. The company announced at the fair it had been awarded a Can. $4.25 million strategic investment from the government’s Hydrogen Early Adopters (h2EA) program to help pay for the four projects expected to operate through the end of next year.

“We are pleased to be at the core of the larger Hydrogen Village initiative and to have this show of government support,” said Hydrogenics CEO Pierre Rivard. “These projects and the technology portfolio they encompass are at the heart of what Hydrogenics does. It will allow us to showcase our technologies in our home town and demonstrate the potential for early market adoption in several key industries.” Contact: Hydrogenics (media) Melody Gaukel, phone 416/544-4906, e-mail melody.gaukel@ketchum.com.