Simark Controls reports a 40 percent growth 2016 in North American sales of methanol fuel cells for off-grid applications.
Simark Controls Ltd., a Canadian subsidiary of SFC Energy AG, a German provider of hybrid power solutions based on methanol fuel cells to the stationary and mobile power generation markets, reports 40 percent growth of fuel cell sales 2016 in North America, to CAD 1.9 million.
– The growing demand for our high quality, integrated and manufactured EFOY Pro Hybrid off-grid power solutions over the past year is due to the significant value they bring to the operators of off-grid SCADA, measurement and instrumentation, RF communications, surveillance and other mission critical assets, explained Derek L’Hirondelle, Vice President of Instrumentation, Automation and Energy at Simark Controls.
In the past, equipment operated away from the grid had to be powered by stand-alone solar modules or by thermoelectric generators (TEGs). Both technologies have serious disadvantages in cold temperatures and harsh weather conditions which can result in power interruptions and system downtime.
– We also benefit from the strong trend in many industries towards ecologically responsible solutions with a reduced carbon footprint. EFOY Pro fuel cells produce no harmful emissions, their fuel is a simple, environmentally friendly alcohol, they operate silently and fully automatically and can be remote monitored and controlled. All this combines to make them an ideal, clean and reliable remote off-grid power source, said L’Hirondelle.
According to Simark, hybridization of Solar with EFOY Pro fuel cells eliminates these reliability issues and provides a robust and streamlined solution, ensuring dependable 24/7 operation of assets through dark winter months regardless of weather conditions.
– We have seen several major oil and gas and remote telecommunication companies place large EFOY Pro Hybrid solution orders with Simark over the past months and we expect this trend to continue, said Dr Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Energy AG.
Simark delivers the EFOY Pro in a variety of fully integrated plug & play hybrid solutions engineered to customer specifications. Top sellers in the Simark portfolio are customized EFOY Pro Cabinets for stand-alone operation of remote SCADA, wellhead or telecommunication tower equipment, and mobile EFOY Pro Trailers for security, surveillance and public events applications.
– This performance confirms, despite the challenging business environment, the demand for our core products in the oil and gas industry and thus our strategy to enter this market. The business is expanding both geographically and across different market segments. Orders from Simark’s US distribution partners have picked up in addition to expanding into powering pipeline riser applications and other types of critical off-grid oil and gas and telecommunication equipment across North America, said Podesser.
