Displaying items by tag: Ryan Van Amburgh, Plug Power, Grande Industrial Park, Stacie Dina, Joanne Yepsen

In photos (from left): Jason Foden and Jim Petrecky of Plug Power demonstrate "GenKey" hydrogen fuel cell technology at Logistics One on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017. Photos by Larry Goodwin. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Jason Foden seemed eager to jump on the forklift for a quick lap around the Logistics One warehouse, as he demonstrated for a small audience the hydrogen fuel cells being marketed by his company.

Foden, the regional service representative for Latham-based Plug Power, was joined by colleagues in an event organized at Logistics One on Friday, Oct. 13 by the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation (SEDC).

Ryan Van Amburgh, SEDC’s development specialist, said it was the first time Plug Power representatives held such a demonstration in the W.J. Grande Industrial Park.

The Plug Power hydrogen fuel cell is “literally a drop-in replacement” for forklifts powered by similar lead-acid battery units, explained Teal Vivacqua, the company’s marketing director. She said Plug Power offers many different fuel cell designs, depending on the type of forklift.

Vivacqua added that Plug Power finds ways to ensure that switching to hydrogen fuel cells for warehouse use is “a very seamless process for customers.”

The company’s promotional brochure describes it as a “GenKey solution,” which provides the fuel cell units, hydrogen and fueling infrastructure and long-term service. 

“Within no time, your lift truck fleet will be operating with enhanced efficiency and increased productivity,” the brochure reads. More information about the technology is available at www.plugpower.com.

In addition to providing information about fuel cells on the forklift and an airport luggage hauler, the Plug Power representatives briefly demonstrated how to use a hydrogen “dispenser” that companies can install inside warehouses to make refueling the units more efficient.

Jim Petrecky, Plug Power’s vice president of business development, said “very small particles” of platinum act as a catalyst for hydrogen gas inside the fuel cells. That scientific reaction yields 3 kilowatts of power for each forklift unit and more than 20 kilowatts in the larger airport haulers, he said.

Depending on the actual loads being handled, Plug Power's hydrogen fuel cells can last up to 12 hours on a single fuel up, Foden said.

Vivacqua indicated that, so far, Plug Power has tracked well over 8 million fuel-ups. The company's hydrogen fuel cells are now powering more than 16,000 forklifts in warehouses owned by such companies as Amazon, Wal-Mart and Home Depot, she said. 

Stacie Dina attended the Plug Power demonstration on behalf of U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Willsboro). She expressed a sense of fascination with the fuel cell technology, though admitted that her knowledge of it was limited.

Afterward, Dina said Plug Power representatives had discussions recently with the congresswoman in her Washington, D.C. office.  

Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen also made an appearance, referencing previous attempts on her part to “encourage the private sector” to invest in various clean technologies as a means to “benefit all of us.” 

Her goal, the mayor said, always has been to make Saratoga Springs a “more progressive, clean place.”