Herten. Dr. Axel Horstmann, Minister of Transport and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, pressed a symbolic red button in the presence of Herten's mayor Klaus Bechtel and the CEO of Masterflex AG, Detlef Herzog, as well as invited representatives from business, politics and associations on Wednesday, January 15 at 12 noon, thus putting Masterflex AG's first fuel cell into operation at the Herten Future Center.
Masterflex AG is strongly committed to this alternative form of energy supply and intends to be the first company to mass-produce mini fuel cells. In the future, the 50-watt mini fuel cell will supply notebooks, printers and other so-called mobile office systems with mains-independent power. The Masterflex mini power plant has approximately 20 times the capacity of a conventional rechargeable battery. It can power a notebook for 30 to 50 hours. The mini fuel cell is supplied with hydrogen from a metal hydride storage tank. The necessary oxygen is taken from the air.
The company is supported by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which is providing substantial funding for this project as part of the NRW Fuel Cell Competence Network. According to Minister Horstmann, the fuel cell has the potential to revolutionize energy supply worldwide in the medium term. According to the energy minister, the aim should be "to develop NRW into a top international location for fuel cell technology." "In this respect, Herten has good prerequisites", according to Horstmann's assessment, "to further distinguish itself in the field and to develop into a competence location with Europe-wide charisma for the field of fuel cell and hydrogen technology".
In a European cooperation 'Ruhr-Alpes' with the regions of Grenoble and Milan, Herten wants to position itself for a future world market with its hydrogen competence center H2Herten. "As a nice day for the mayor and for the city", Mayor Klaus Bechtel therefore describes the commissioning of the first mini fuel cell. Bechtel is pleased that Herten "as the former largest European coal mining town, is now one of the pioneers of fuel cell production and thus finds a thematic link to its long history, as a major energy supplier".
Masterflex AG is very confident that marketing of the mini fuel cell can begin as early as 2004. "With a mains-independent power supply for 'mobile office systems', a niche is being occupied that is off the beaten track of developments being driven by large corporations worldwide," says Wilfried Müller, head of fuel cell technology at Masterflex AG. Conceivable for the company is an annual production of initially 30,000 to 50,000 mini fuel cells.
Masterflex AG will present the first prototype of this mini fuel cell for the operation of mobile ofce systems at CeBIT in Hanover as early as March of this year.