(Boursier.com) — Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG) will provide Blue Energfreeze, the energy subsidiary of STEF, a complete green hydrogen ecosystem to power two large cold storage warehouses located near Paris and Madrid. STEF is the European leader in transport and logistics services for temperature-controlled food products (-25oC to +15oC).
Both sites, which will be converted to hydrogen fuel cell technology, will be operational in the first quarter of 2024. STEF and Plug plan to expand the use of fuel cells to more than 100 distribution centers in Europe.
Temperatures in STEF’s storage warehouses can drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius. Under these conditions, forklifts powered by lead-acid batteries quickly lose their charge.
Battery-powered forklifts are estimated to lose about 14% of their power over the last half of their charge. Hydrogen fuel cells, on the other hand, are more efficient in a low-temperature environment and offer greater autonomy. In addition, the fuel cell power solution never requires charging or replacing the battery. Charging the lead-acid battery currently takes 15 minutes per shift, compared to three minutes for refueling with hydrogen. Over a year, these 12 minutes saved per team represent more than 188 hours of lost productivity per forklift.
Replacing lead-acid batteries with Plug’s hydrogen fuel cells should significantly improve the productivity of STEF’s forklifts by providing them with optimal capacities throughout their work cycle.
Toyota Material Handling will provide fuel cell compatible forklift models.
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