H Power Corp. (Clifton, NJ) announced that the company and Gaz de France (France) have installed the first of six beta residential cogeneration units (RCUs) at the facilities of Gaz de France.
The installation is under a previously announced memorandum of understanding between the two companies. The remaining five units, designed to meet the needs and specifications of Gaz de France for field-testing, are to be shipped during the first half of 2002. The beta RCU, which operates independently of the power grid and is powered by natural gas, was installed in a model house on Gaz de France's research and development campus in La Plaine Saint Denis, a suburb of Paris.
Frank Gibbard, CEO of H Power, commented, "The immediate feedback from Gaz de France is highly positive; the unit was easy to install and is performing as designed, in accordance with their specifications. Both our companies continue to believe that France and other European countries are an excellent market for H Power's fuel cell products. With this additional positive step, our relationship with Gaz de France continues to evolve, consistent with our efforts to provide the global marketplace with realistic alternative energy solutions."
