Avista makes deal to market fuel cells through Sunelco Inc. of Hamilton, MT

A Montana company that sells renewable energy systems has signed a deal to market fuel cells made by Avista Labs of Spokane.

Alison Boggs
Staff writer

"I think we’re looking at a turning point in the renewable energy industry," said Tom Bishop, owner of Sunelco Inc., http://www.sunelco.com/ of Hamilton, Mont. "We’ve gotten to the point where we’re introducing hydrogen fuel cells into the market, to the point where a person could actually go out and buy one. We’re on the doorstep of something really fascinating here."

Fuel cells convert hydrogen into electricity through an electrochemical reaction. The technology has been praised as a nonpolluting way to produce energy.

Under the agreement, Sunelco will carry Avista Labs’ Independence line of fuel cells, which includes 100-watt, 500-watt and 1-kilowatt units. The companies signed a nonexclusive agreement, which means Avista Labs can work with other potential distributors and Sunelco can work with other fuel cell companies. The agreement lasts until July 2004.

Sunelco, also called The Sun Electric Company, distributes renewable energy products including solar, wind and small hydro systems. The company provides energy systems for residential, industrial, communications and agricultural uses.

Sunelco has agreed to market Avista Labs’ fuel cells to commercial and industrial customers looking for backup power. Sunelco will feature the Independence line in its Planning Guide and Products Catalog, which Bishop said is distributed to 15,000 people annually.

"Sunelco has 18 years of successful operation under its belt in the renewables industry," said Mike Davis, CEO of Avista Labs, a subsidiary of Avista Corp. "They are respected in the field and we are pleased to have them offer our Independence fuel cells to their commercial and industrial clients."

Markets Sunelco is likely to target for Avista Labs’ fuel cells are markets the company is already in, such as telecommunications and railroads. Bishop praised Avista Labs’ fuel cell design for providing the reliability Sunelco’s customers need in remote sites. The fuel cells are made up of several cartridges, each of which can be removed for maintenance, while the rest of the system continues to generate electricity.

And though the fuel cells are not ready for residential use, that’s what Bishop hopes to see one day.

"Our ultimate goal is to have one of these in everyone’s back yard, so they’re making their own electricity," said Bishop, though he acknowledged that residential use is several years in the future.

The majority of Sunelco’s customers, Bishop said, are rural homeowners who do not rely on the power grid for their energy. They’re all over the world, in places like the Caribbean islands, Australia and New Zealand.

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