Plug Power Inc. (Latham, New York, U.S.), a provider of clean, reliable on-site energy, will install two GenSite hydrogen generators under two recently awarded programs sponsored by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

“Under the strong leadership of Governor Pataki, NYSERDA has been helping to advance hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, with Plug Power being a key player,” said NYSERDA President Peter R. Smith. “We are excited about funding these two projects because they involve the use of hydrogen in real-life applications much sooner than we anticipated.”

Under the first program, Plug Power will partner with American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Air Products and Chemicals Inc., and Homeland Energy to provide the refueling infrastructure necessary for fuel-cell-powered vehicles, including two Honda FCX's recently leased by the state of New York.

The program calls for Plug Power to install a GenSite hydrogen generator at the company's Latham location capable of directly fueling fuel-cell vehicles and the Air Product's HF-150 mobile refueler, which will be located at the state's Harriman Campus in Albany, New York. As of November 2004, there were more than 70 hydrogen-refueling stations installed for hydrogen refueling projects. Currently, California, New York and Florida have hydrogen highway initiatives, and the number of states starting to fund these projects is expected to increase.

As part of the second project, Plug Power will partner with Albany NanoTech a leading global center for nanotechnology research and development based at the University at Albany, SUNY to integrate a GenSite system into the existing hydrogen infrastructure. The NanoTech Center utilizes hydrogen in research and development of semiconductors, and this project will enable the partners to explore the applicability of on-site hydrogen generation within the semiconductor industry, while gaining critical applications knowledge at a highly visible site.

Plug Power and project partners expect the hydrogen generators to be installed later this year, once final contract negotiations are complete.