Yesterday at DistribuTECH, Israel-based GenCell announced its strategic partnership with DTECH host utility San Diego Gas & Electric, and today the maker of fuel cell technology for utility applications found its first distributor in the United States.
GenCell (exhibiting at DistribuTECH 2017 at Booth No. 3237) announced its distributor relationship with Ladera Ranch, California’s Pacific Power Reps on the DistribuTECH show floor in San Diego.
Pacific Power Reps’ customers include Southern California Edison, SDG&E, the Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power, Imperial Irrigation District and several municipalities, including the city of Anaheim.
GenCell’s vice president of sales, Alon Rozen, said the relationships his company formed at DTECH will help them introduce themselves to the American market and prove their technology can assist utilities.
Alon Rozen, GenCell VP Sales (left) and Greg Albertyn, President PPR (right). Photo courtesy GenCell.
“If we are looking to penetrate this market, we need the right partner. SDG&E is the right partner for us,” Rozen said. “PPR can be the right guys for us too.”
GenCell’s utility product, the G5rx is a low-maintenance fuel cell that does not emit any carbon dioxide and can be used in both extreme environments and urban settings.
Greg Albertyn of PPR said GenCell can offer power companies the total package.
“It’s very efficient. Safe, green. It’s fulfilling a need,” Albertyn said. “And who needs more complication in their life?”
He said PPR has a good base to work from with the installations at SDG&E.
“There are many utilities out there that have similar needs and we can help introduce them to GenCell and the offering they have,” he said.
“We had been in discussions with GenCell for a while, and set up some meetings here,” he said. “And what better place to consummate the deal than here at DTECH?”
Rozen said his background was in the Israeli homeland security department, adding that he knows how important continuous power supply is for security.
“Today, utility substations have the option to work only 8 hours or so after a blackout. We can let them operate unlimited by holding the breakers from shutting down. We give them the power to open and close when you’re bringing electricity back,” Rozen said.
GenCell says their hydrogen fuel cell can operate 10 times longer than existing back-up power sources, and has the capacity to maintain all substation operations versus only critical operations.
