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Bac2
Cameron quest for green energy finds fuel-cell innovators Bac2 at the University of Southampton
Southampton, UK, July 12, 2006: In a visit to the University of Southampton last week (July 6) to look at alternative energy technologies, UK Conservative party leader David Cameron met with Bac2, the newly-funded technology start-up company that manufactures fuel cell components using its patented ElectroPhen material. The components, called bipolar plates, make up to 70% of the weight and 30% of the cost of a typical Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack. Making them from ElectroPhen promises cost savings without compromising performance, and the material is more rugged than other composites used in this application. As a result, Bac2 is at the forefront of making environmentally clean fuel cells – their only waste product is water - commercially viable. Mr. Cameron expressed interest in the fact that Bac2 is the only company to manufacture composite bipolar plates in the UK.
In May this year Bac2 received £500,000 seed corn investment for the continued development of ElectroPhen. The investment round was lead by London Seed Capital in conjunction with the London Business Angel Network and the LBA EIS Tracker Fund III. Further angel investors were introduced to Bac2 by South East Capital Alliance (SECA), managed by Finance South East, Wessex Ventures, James Cowper Chartered Accountants and the University of Southampton Alumni Fund.
This investment is in addition to a DTI grant of £240,000 awarded to a six-member consortium, lead by Bac2, to optimise ElectroPhen for use in fuel cell components.
For further information and reader enquiries:
Mike Stannard, CEO, Bac2,
Set Squared,
The University of Southampton
S017 1BJ,
UK Tel: +44 (0) 23 8059 8572
E-mail: mike@bac2.co.uk
Web: www.bac2.co.uk
PR agency contact:
Bob Jones, TechnoPR Limited,
The Old Vicarage, Upper South Wraxall,
Bradford-on-Avon,
Wiltshire
BA15 2SB, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1225 866930
E-mail: bob.jones@technopr.com
Web: www.technopr.com
About Bac2
Bac2 is the developer of ElectroPhen™, an electrically conductive plastic that will make a significant contribution to the early adoption of clean energy from fuel cell stacks. Fuel cells are technically proven sources of clean energy for our planet, but adoption is presently limited by cost. Up to 30% of the cost of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stacks, the most popular types, comes from so-called bipolar plates and end plates that interconnect individual cells and provide connections to the outside world. The bipolar plates have to conduct electricity, keep the reaction gasses separated and channel away waste water and heat from the reaction. ElectroPhen™ is a unique material that can be used to form these plates and it will contribute significantly to improvements in fuel cell cost/performance. Furthermore, as Bac2 demonstrates that ElectroPhen™ is mechanically more flexible than alternative materials developed for this application, it will result in a more rugged and reliable product. ElectroPhen™ therefore has the potential to bring forward the day fuel cells become widely adopted.
Already in commercial use as auxiliary generators, fuel cells are widely expected to power everything from cars and buses to laptops and mobile phones and even homes and offices in the years to come. They provide clean efficient energy as part of the emerging hydrogen economy, which is seen as the most viable energy technology for tackling increasingly serious concerns over oil and gas supply as well as harmful climate changing emissions caused by burning hydrocarbon fuels. The only waste product from hydrogen fuel cells is water.
Bac2 is in the process of developing ElectroPhen™ commercially and has patents pending in Europe, America and Japan. ElectroPhen™ is made from readily available low-cost constituents, can be pressed or moulded to complex shapes, and is robust enough for harsh environments. By comparison, competitors produce composite plates using electrically insulating resins to bind together conductive particles such as graphite. In addition to its role in fuel cells, Bac2 will find an increasingly wide range of applications in electrical and electronic industries. Bac2 is a privately owned company based in Southampton, United Kingdom.