Voller Energy Group PLC

Voller Energy Group PLC is a manufacturer of portable fuel cell systems based in the UK. The Company was founded in 2002 by Stephen Voller and Mike Clarke to produce battery chargers and mobile generators based on patented fuel cell technology. Uniquely, the products create electricity without producing any toxic emissions, the only output from the current systems being pure water. Voller Energy's products are aimed at recharging the batteries used in cordless tools in the construction industry, generating power for the leisure industry and for use in the military. Voller Energy are members of Fuel Cell Europe (World Fuel Cell Council), Executive Member's of Fuel Cells UK, members of the British Compressed Gas Association (BCGA), the North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA).

Voller is initially targeting commercially attractive areas including the cordless power tool, leisure boating, recreational vehicle and military markets. These are likely to be early adopters of the technology as the benefits of using fuels cells, such as low noise, no toxic emissions and health and safety issues, are important drivers. The portable power market is generally defined up to 10kW and is expected to be worth $17 billion by 2011 (Canadian Fuel Cell Commercialisation Roadmap - Price Waterhouse Coopers, March 2003).

Importantly, Voller's business is not dependent on the emergence of a hydrogen infrastructure, which may take many years to develop. Through its acquisition of KAT-Chem in February 2005, Voller has acquired a low cost fuel processor technology which means that it can extract the hydrogen found in fuels such as propane, LPG, diesel and the military fuel JP-8. This supply of hydrogen from commonly available fuels should ensure the early and widespread adoption of fuel cell technology.

About Fuel Cells
Fuel cells work by converting the chemical energy in hydrogen to electrical energy. Hydrogen is combined with oxygen from the air across a special membrane. The outputs from the reaction are electricity, heat and water. No toxic emissions are produced. In order to provide sufficient voltage for a useable electrical load, several membranes are assembled between plates and assembled into a stack. The fuel cell stack that Voller Energy currently use in the VE100 is about the size and weight of a small box of chocolates, and each plate about the size of an 'after eight' mint. Normally 20 to 30 plates are assembled in a fuel cell stack.

Core technology developed at Voller is the fuel cell control systems that allows integrated battery charging systems to operate at high efficiency. These systems involve the close monitoring of all inputs and outputs, with software written by Voller Energy that controls the fuel cell system effectively.