Ohio Demonstrates World's First in Fuel Cell Systems Technology

Company leverages state's largest cash crop to generate electricity

    COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- An Ohio company has successfully
 demonstrated the world's first kilowatt-scale solid oxide fuel cell system
 that generates electricity using vegetable oil from soybeans. The
 demonstration further proves Ohio's standing as a world leader in
 innovative technology in alternative energy, according to the Ohio Business
 Development Coalition (OBDC), the nonprofit organization that markets the
 state for capital investment.
     (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070814/CLTU009LOGO )
     Cleveland, Ohio-based Technology Management, Inc. (TMI) and the Ohio
 Soybean Council presented the new technology at The Ohio State University
 Farm Science Review, one of the largest gatherings of the agriculture
 industry in the Midwest.
     "We believe this is the first time a complete farm scale fuel cell
 system has ever been shown to convert unblended soybean oil into renewable
 electricity outside the laboratory," said Benson Lee, president and CEO of
 Technology Management, Inc. "TMI is proud to be among the few companies in
 the world that are demonstrating that this revolutionary technology is not
 decades away, but just around the corner."
     The project received contributions from the USDA Biomass Initiative
 Program, the Ohio Soybean Council and Ohio's Third Frontier Project, a $1.6
 billion initiative that fosters the creation of high-paying jobs through
 innovation, research and development and the commercialization of next-
 generation products.
     TMI is collaborating with The Ohio State University's Biomass to Energy
 Program as part of an ongoing relationship examining the conversion of
 various biomass waste and organic matter into on-site electricity and
 marketable biofuels.
     "If biofuel-powered fuel cell systems, using renewable fuels like
 soybean oil, were available to small farms and agri-businesses across the
 Midwest's farm belt it would allow America's strongest engine for economic
 growth - the small business - to join with big business to help reduce our
 nation's dependency on foreign oil and consumption of fossil fuel," Lee
 continued. "The combination of Ohio's manufacturing, technology and
 agricultural strengths could create a new industry based on small-scale,
 on-site, distributed power generation operating on renewable biofuels such
 as soybeans. And, as the nation's fourth most energy intensive state, Ohio
 would benefit by being its own best customer."
     As one of the few places where all phases of fuel cell development take
 place, from research and development to component suppliers and final
 product manufacturing, Ohio provides a supportive business environment for
 alternative energy companies.
     "Ohio is at the heart of next-generation, alternative energy technology
 advancements," said Ed Burghard, executive director for the Ohio Business
 Development Coalition. "The state is attractive to executives because of
 its unique mix of micropolitan and metropolitan cities. This combination
 provides executives the resources and time to pursue their professional
 goals and personal aspirations without having to compromise one for the
 other. Ohio truly is the state of perfect balance."
     For more information, visit http://www.ohiomeansbusiness.com.
     For more information about TMI, visit http://www.tmifuelcellsystems.com
 
 

SOURCE Ohio Business Development Coalition