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Tech Valley News
Nestle Installs Plug Power Fuel Cells
Plug Power Inc., a leader in providing clean, reliable energy solutions, announced today that Nestle Waters North America has installed 32 GenDrive hydrogen fuel cells, purchased in 2008, to use at its Dallas, TX bottling facility. As a result, Nestle Waters has converted its entire fleet of sit down counterbalanced lift trucks from internal combustion engines powered by liquid petroleum gas to Yale class I electric lift trucks powered by GenDrive power units.
Rising fuel costs coupled with high greenhouse gas emissions have companies searching for alternative solutions to internal combustion engines. Electric lift trucks powered by GenDrive units provide a cost effective alternative to traditional power sources.
Nestle Waters evaluated both hydrogen fuel cells and lead acid batteries as potential replacements for their current fuel source. In the end, Plug Power’s GenDrive allowed them to make the full site conversion without incurring heavy labor and equipment costs associated with buying, storing, maintaining and changing batteries. They have lower operational costs than the incumbent technologies and allow for increased worker productivity.
“Neste Waters assessed all their IC engine replacement options and found that the GenDrive fuel cell solution was less expensive than investing in lead acid batteries and costly battery equipment,” said Tony Troutt, Director of Sales at Plug Power. “Fuel cells were also found to be more efficient. Most importantly, converting their fleet to hydrogen fuel cells allows Nestlé Waters to eliminate exhaust emission issues, ultimately creating an improved working environment for their employees as well as a reduced carbon footprint.”
Air Products, a global leader in hydrogen fueling and infrastructure, provides the hydrogen and infrastructure to power the GenDrive units. The fueling infrastructure consists of an outdoor liquid hydrogen storage and compression system, as well as multiple indoor fueling dispensers for operator refueling. The GenDrive power units can be quickly refueled by the lift truck operator in less than 5 minutes, completely eliminating lead acid batteries and the related charging and storing infrastructure.
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