Ballard Power Systems
Encyclopedia
Ballard Power Systems located in Burnaby, British Columbia
-- a suburb of Vancouver
-- is a company
that designs, develops, and manufactures zero emission
proton-exchange-membrane
fuel cells. This company has made a bus that uses only hydrogen fuel cells. These fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and water. No pollution is produced by this process, and the water is good enough to drink.
Ballard Power Systems was originally founded as Ballard Research by Dr. Geoffrey Ballard
. The company went public in 1993 on the Toronto Exchange, and in 1995, listed on NASDAQ.
Some of the work performed by Ballard has included commercialization of:
Ballard is a member of the British Columbia Technology Industry Association
.
Another perspective on the problems that companies seeking to commercialize Hydrogen fuel cell technology have faced, is that the technology would only be economical in a regulatory regime that imposed a significant price on fossil-fuel-generated carbon emissions, with a goal of effectively reducing such emissions and slowing global warming
trends. Such regulation would render clean-source hydrogen technology economically viable, because carbon tax and emissions caps would not apply to it.
Unfortunately for the Energy R&D sector of which Ballard Power Systems is a part, no government has yet been willing to price Greenhouse gas
emissions at any level that would have a material effect on fuel choice.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
-- a suburb of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
-- is a company
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
that designs, develops, and manufactures zero emission
Zero emission
Zero emission refers to an engine, motor, or other energy source, that emits no waste products that pollutes the environment or disrupts the climate.-Zero emission engines:...
proton-exchange-membrane
Proton exchange membrane fuel cell
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells, also known as polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells , are a type of fuel cell being developed for transport applications as well as for stationary fuel cell applications and portable fuel cell applications. Their distinguishing features include lower...
fuel cells. This company has made a bus that uses only hydrogen fuel cells. These fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and water. No pollution is produced by this process, and the water is good enough to drink.
Ballard Power Systems was originally founded as Ballard Research by Dr. Geoffrey Ballard
Geoffrey Ballard (businessman)
Geoffrey Ballard, CM, OBC was a Canadian geophysicist and businessman. A long time advocate of replacing the internal combustion engine, in 1979 Ballard founded what would become Ballard Power Systems to develop commercial applications of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell...
. The company went public in 1993 on the Toronto Exchange, and in 1995, listed on NASDAQ.
Some of the work performed by Ballard has included commercialization of:
- fuel cell engines for the transportation market
- electric drives for both fuel cell and battery-powered electric vehiclesBattery electric vehicleA battery electric vehicle, or BEV, is a type of electric vehicle that uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. BEVs use electric motors and motor controllers instead of, or in addition to, internal combustion engines for propulsion.A battery-only electric vehicle or...
. - power conversion products for fuel cell generators
- microturbines and other distributed generationDistributed generationDistributed generation, also called on-site generation, dispersed generation, embedded generation, decentralized generation, decentralized energy or distributed energy, generates electricity from many small energy sources....
technologies - fuel cell systems for markets such as portable power products and larger stationary generation products.
Ballard is a member of the British Columbia Technology Industry Association
British Columbia Technology Industry Association
The British Columbia Technology Industry Association is a not-for-profit member-funded trade association in British Columbia, Canada, which promotes the technology industry in the province...
.
Retreat from automotive fuel cells
Ballard Power Systems' main objective is to develop fuel-cell technology. Previously, Ballard had its focus within the automobile market, and fleet services, as well as co-generation systems and the manufacture of materials for the fuel-cell sector. However, in late 2007, Ballard pulled out of the hydrogen vehicle sector of its business to focus on fuel cells for forklifts and stationary electrical generation. The company sold its automotive fuel cell assets to Daimler AG and Ford Motor Company. Research Capital analyst Jon Hykawy concluded that Ballard saw the industry going nowhere and said: "In my view, the hydrogen car was never alive. The problem was never, "Could you build a fuel cell that would consume hydrogen, produce electricity, and fit in a car?" The problem was always, "Can you make hydrogen fuel at a price point that makes any sense to anybody?" And the answer to that to date has been "No."Another perspective on the problems that companies seeking to commercialize Hydrogen fuel cell technology have faced, is that the technology would only be economical in a regulatory regime that imposed a significant price on fossil-fuel-generated carbon emissions, with a goal of effectively reducing such emissions and slowing global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
trends. Such regulation would render clean-source hydrogen technology economically viable, because carbon tax and emissions caps would not apply to it.
Unfortunately for the Energy R&D sector of which Ballard Power Systems is a part, no government has yet been willing to price Greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions at any level that would have a material effect on fuel choice.
Competitors
Ballard Power Systems' chief competitors include:- FuelCell Energy
- Fuel cell technologies
- Hydrogenics
- NedStack
- UTCUnited Technologies CorporationUnited Technologies Corporation is an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in the United Technologies Building in Hartford, Connecticut...
Power Corporation, a unit of United Technologies