Ballard and ACME Sign Agreement for Telecom Backup Power Solutions in India

Ballard Power Systems a developer of fuel cell products, announced that it has signed a multi-year supply agreement with an affiliate of the ACME Group (ACME), a provider of telecommunications infrastructure solutions in India, to provide fuel cells for backup power in the wireless telecom market.

The supply agreement imposes mutual exclusivity on both companies for the India wireless telecom backup power market through 2010, subject to certain conditions. Although the agreement does not specify minimum volumes, in order to maintain its right to exclusivity, ACME must order at least 22.7 megawatts (MW) of fuel cell products through 2010, specifically 0.1 MW, 3.3 MW and 19.3 MW in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively. Ballard will supply the company's existing Mark1020(TM) ACS fuel cell product as well as a new liquid-cooled reformate-capable fuel cell product currently in development, in sizes ranging from the sub-kilowatt level to 7 kilowatts. ACME will begin systems design work immediately to integrate Ballard's fuel cell products for trials beginning in early 2009, with initial deployments planned later that year.

John Sheridan, President and CEO of Ballard, said, "The need for extended runtime capability throughout wireless networks in India is acute, given the unreliable electricity grid in that country combined with the tremendous growth rate in telecom services. This agreement with ACME, a highly capable and knowledgeable partner with a leading share of the India telecom infrastructure solutions market, positions Ballard with a strong lead customer. The agreement will help accelerate fuel cell product adoption."

Fuel cell-powered systems offer more reliable and cleaner backup power alternatives than incumbent technologies. This is valuable in India where many towns and cities experience an average of four to six hours of daily power outages. While Ballard's Mark1020 ACS fuel cell product is commercially available today, an additional liquid-cooled fuel cell product capable of operating with reformed fuel will maximize the size of the addressable market.

"Fuel cell backup power systems offer an excellent value proposition to telecom service providers," said Manoj Upadhyay, CEO of the ACME Group. "The quality of Ballard's fuel cell products gives us a strong foundation on which to build a leading fuel cell market position over the next few years."

The ACME Group is a provider of solutions for the wireless telecom industry, cold chain management systems, alternate energy and waste water treatment.

Source: Fuel Cell Today