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FuelCell Energy and Village Farms Collaborate on First Ever Quad-Generation Energy Project
 On March 24, Village Farms announced it would be working with Quadrogen Power Systems and FuelCell Energy to build the first renewable energy quad-generation project for a greenhouse operation.
The project will enable commercial production of renewable heat and food grade carbon dioxide for the greenhouse, along with electricity and hydrogen for additional commercial markets.
A groundbreaking for the project will take place on April 2, 2014, at the company's Delta, British Columbia greenhouse.
To read the full press release, click here.
Bloom Energy Partners with WGL Holdings for 2.6 Megawatts in Santa Clara, California
 On March 10, WGL Holdings announced a 2.6 megawatt (MW) Bloom Energy project in Santa Clara County, California. This project will be financed, built, owned and operated by the Washington Gas Energy Systems (WGESystems), a subsidiary of WGL who own and operate energy solutions for non-residential customers across the United States.
WGESystems will implement a financing program that enables customers, including non-profit organizations, to deploy Boom Energy's fuel cell power. All of the energy produced from this project will be sold to Santa Clara County under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) and is expected to reduce the county's carbon emissions by nearly 5 million pounds each year.
To read the full article, click here.
Senator Chris Coons Test Drives Fuel Cell Vehicle at National Renewable Energy Lab
On March 19, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) visited the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) campus in Golden, Colorado. While there, the Senator had a chance to test drive the latest FCHV-adv vehicle that NREL has on loan from Toyota.
 | | Senator Chris Coons (right) with Keith Wipke (left), Program Manager for the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies Program at NREL in front of the Toyota FCHV-adv |
Senator Chris Coons is a co-chair of the Senate Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Caucus.
Honda R&D Installs Advanced Fast Fill Hydrogen Refueling Station
 On March 3, Honda R&D America announced it installed a state-of-the-art hydrogen refueling station in Torrance, California. The station, dubbed "MC Fill," reduces 700-bar fueling times by up to 45 percent and can complete most fills in less than three minutes under normal conditions.
The system can absorb the heat that is generated during fueling and allows the dispenser to continuously adjust to current temperature and other conditions which normally affect the refueling time.
Read the full press release here.
Air Products Smartfuels Commercial Group's First Hydrogen Hybrid Transit Van
 On March 5, Air Products announced that its Smartfuel hydrogen filling station at London's Heathrow Airport would fuel the Commercial Group's first London-based hydrogen hybrid Ford Transit delivery van.
The van is the first of a fleet of hydrogen hybrid internal combustion engine transit vehicles that will be deployed in London as part of the Technology Strategy Board funded London Hydrogen Network Expansion (LHNE) project. They will promote low carbon transport by showing that hydrogen fuel technology can be deployed in real life commercial operations. The vans will be used to provide next day delivery service for office supplies to customers across the UK.
Read the full press release here.
FuelCell Energy Announces Market Developments for On-Site Distributed Hydrogen Generation
On March 7, FuelCell Energy announced progress in developing on-site distributed hydrogen generation with a $2.8 million award from the Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office (DOE AMO).
The award will demonstrate FuelCell Energy's tri-generation capabilities with their Direct FuelCell (DFC) fuel cell power plants. The units will provide up to 135 kilograms (Kg) of hydrogen a day for commercial and industrial use in addition to power and heat. The demonstration is expected to be operational by the end of 2014.
For a link to FuelCell Energy's full press release, click here.
Proton OnSite to Supply Electrolyzer for Hydrogen Station in Hamburg , Germany
On March 11, Proton OnSite announced that will install an on-site hydrogen generator at a hydrogen refueling station in Hamburg, Germany. Proton OnSite will install a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer to generate the hydrogen, which will be partially powered by renewable energy sources. This installation is part of a larger hydrogen station network being developed in Germany through H2Mobility. H2Mobility is a joint initiative from German leaders in the gas and automotive industries to facilitate the commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles in Germany and has announced €350 million for funding of station development. To read the full article, click here. Arrival of First Hydrogen Buses Marks Milestone in Aberdeen, Scotland Project  On March 19, the Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project, in Aberdeen, Scotland, recieved four of the 10 hydrogen buses ordered from Belgian firm Van Hool. The remaining buses will arrive in the coming weeks. Ballard Power is providing the 150 kilowatt fuel cell modules for the buses.
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One of Van Hool's hydrogen buses powered by Ballard fuel cells
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The buses will be fueled by a hydrogen refueling station, which will get its hydrogen from a 1 megawatt (MW) electrolyser, the first of its kind in Scotland. 1211 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036
For a link to the full press release, click here. Hydro Industries Partners with Intelligent Energy to Bring Clean Water to India  On March 20, Hydro Industries announced it would be collaborating with Intelligent Energy to support the commercialization of water purification technology across India. Intelligent Energy's Indian subsidiary, Essential Energy, will use fuel cells to power Hydro's water purification technology which uses electricity to create potable water.
This news follows a recent announcement that Intelligent Energy will deliver fuel cell power management solutions for telecommunications towers across India. To read the full press release, click here. Air Liquide Hydrogen Filling Station Begins Fueling Forklifts at IKEA Logistics Platform in France
On March 18, Air Liquide announced it has begun supplying hydrogen for a hydrogen fueling station at IKEA's logistics platform in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, France. Air Liquide claims that this station is a first in Europe and will initially be used to fuel 20 fuel cell forklift trucks. The fuel cells in the forklifts are supplied by HyPulsion, a European joint venture between Plug Power and Air Liquide's subsidiary Axane. Read Air Liquide's press release here. Ballard Power Successfully Trials ElectraGen Fuel Cells in Pakistan On March 25, Ballard Power announced that it had completed a successful field trial in Pakistan for their ElectraGen fuel cell systems for telecommunications backup power. Ballard collaborated with Warid Telecom and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) on a Mobile Energy Efficiency Optimization (MEEO) project, which identified ways to reduce energy costs and carbon footprints. Warid Telecom is an Abu Dhabi-based telecom firm operating in a number of Middle Eastern and African countries. For a link to Ballard's full press release, click here. ClearEdge Inks Service Deal with Kinsley Fuel Cells  On March 25, ClearEdge Power announced it signed a service agreement with Kinsley Fuel Cells to provide maintenance for ClearEdge's 400 kW fuel cells in the Northeast.
Kinsley Fuel Cells, a subsidiary of the Kinsley Group, has five locations throughout the Northeast region and will leverage its service fleet and trained technicians to help the ClearEdge service team. For a link to the full article, click here.NREL Driving Research on Hydrogen Fuel Cells
On March 24, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced updates on their fuel cell and hydrogen energy research and development efforts to overcome challenges associated with hydrogen vehicle commercialization. The release highlights a range of topics that NREL researchers are working on, including developing alternative means of producing hydrogen fuel, lowering the amount of platinum used in fuel cells, and analyzing how contaminants affect fuel cell systems.
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NREL robot tests the durability of a hydrogen refueling pump (source: NREL)
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To learn more about NREL's fuel cell and hydrogen R&D efforts, click here.
New York State Awards Funding to NY-BEST Companies to Develop Advanced Energy Storage Technologies
 On March 5, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced $1.4 million in funding was awarded to six organizations working on new technologies in battery and energy storage.
One of the six projects is being conducted by Cornell University to develop a regenerative fuel cell energy storage system to produce hydrogen, using a Cornell-designed membrane. The project hopes to reduce the cost of hydrogen production, helping to make the transition to hydrogen-powered vehicles by reducing fossil fuel dependence.
For a link to the full press release, click here.
Additional Headlines | 
On February 20, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) proposed requiring badges, labels, and owner's manual information for new passenger cars, low speed vehicles and light-duty trucks in order to increase consumer awareness regarding the use and benefits of alternative fuels.
The US Department of Labor's Occupational Information Network (O*NET) is seeking assistance from expert fuel cell technicians, with at least five years experience, to complete a series of occupational questionnaires for a national database. This database is a service to employers, human resource professionals, job counselors, and labor market analysts across the country, providing information about the skills, abilities, activities, and work context for about 900 occupations nationwide. 
