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Ballard Power Systems

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Ballard Power Systems
Company typePublic
(Nasdaq: BLDP, TSX: BLD)
IndustryAlternative energy
Founded1979
HeadquartersBurnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Key people
Ian A. Bourne, (Chairman), John Sheridan (President and CEO)
ProductsFuel cells

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. Ballard Power Systems, Inc. is a global leader in PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell technology. Ballard has designed and shipped close to 150 MW of hydrogen fuel cell technology to date.

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.[1]

Ballard has a multi-market growth focus in fuel cell products. This drives greater revenue and margin potential, while lowering risk for all stakeholders. Fuel cell applications are expected to broaden in the mid-term, although our focus today remains sharply on commercial opportunities in backup power, distributed generation, material handling and bus applications. Some of the work performed by Ballard has included commercialization of:

Backup Power - Fuel cells provide a highly reliable and cost-competitive power source for backup power in wireless telecom networks worldwide.

Distributed Generation – Fuel cells can take advantage of low-cost hydrogen streams from chemical and bio-gas production to generate power locally for onsite use or sale back to the grid.

Material Handling - Fuel cell-powered material handling equipment improves productivity in high-throughput warehouses and distribution centers, creating a compelling return on investment.

Bus - Fuel cell buses are clean vehicles, emitting no greenhouse gas or particulates matters and operate to the highest standards from the perspective of drivers, passengers and transit agencies.

Ballard is a member of the British Columbia Technology Industry Association.

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.[2] 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."[3]

Competitors

Ballard Power Systems' chief competitors include:

Divisions

  • Ballard Material Products
  • Dantherm Power

See also

References

  1. ^ "When was Ballard's IPO?". Archived from the original on 21 June 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Ballard Agrees To Sell Automotive Fuel Cell Assets; Will Concentrate On Commercial Markets, Ballard Power press release, 2007-11-07. Retrieved on 2009-05-13.
  3. ^ Hydrogen highway hits dead end by Nathan VanderKlippe in the Financial Post, 2007-11-05
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