March 1, 2005

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President George W. Bush heads the list of 12 political leaders and elected officials named by the National Hydrogen Association as the 2005 recipients of the NHA’s honorary membership. The others: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger; Mayor Jim Hahn of Los Angeles; Dr. Alan Lloyd, Secretary of CAL EPA; Terry Tamminen, Cabinet Secretary for the State of California; Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa); Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV); Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND); Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA); Rep. John Peterson (R-PA); Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA); and Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX).

Fuel Cell Energy, Inc., Danbury, CT has appointed R. Daniel Brdar to executive vice president and chief operating officer in charge of manufacturing and non-manufacturing operations for the company’s DFC products. Brdar joined FuelCell Energy five years ago after 19 years with General Electric, the U.S. Energy Department and EG&G, Inc. For the last two years Brdar has led product development and commercial cost-cutting efforts at the company. In a second appointment, FuelCell Energy has named Christopher R. Bentley to the job of executive vice president for strategic manufacturing development and government r&d operations. He will assume the responsibility for strategic manufacturing development for future manufacturing technologies, as well as other responsibilities.

Ontario-based Hydrogenics Corp. has appointed Lawrence E. Davis as the company’s new chief financial officer, starting April 1. Davis replaces Gary G. Brandt who leaves Hydrogenics at the end of this month to pursue other career opportunities, according to Hydrogenics. Davis has more than 20 years of financial and operational experience, most recently as CFO of a wireless data services company and before that, as president of a merchant bank.

Ballard Power Systems’ long-time media voice, Debby Harris, has left the company and has taken a job as vice president for corporate and market development with AccelRate Power Systems, Inc., a Vancouver-based maker of rapid battery recharging technology and products. The appointment became effective early last month.

The UK’s Voller Energy Group PLC has appointed Dr. Mark Turpin as the company’s new chief technology officer. Turpin previously worked at Morgan Crucible PLC, as a consultant and also as senior scientist at Duracell Batteries. Turpin’s duties will also include management of the company’s new laboratory acquired by Voller last month as part of the acquisition of assets of KAT-Chem GmbH, a developer of hydrogen reformer technology in Bremen, Germany. KAT-Chem is a subsidiary of MIR-Chem GmbH founded in 2001 by academics from Bremen University.

Dr. Subhash C. Singhal, Battelle Fellow and director of fuel cells research at the U.S. Energy Department’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, (PNNL), was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the academy announced last month. Singhal, one of 74 new NAE members, was cited “for the development and promotion of solid oxide fuel cells for clean and efficient power generation.”