The jury of the 2010 Hermes Award has nominated the RiCell Flex fuel cell system from Rittal, along with four other candidates from more than 50 submissions for the coveted industry prize. The new system, among other things, will be presented at Rittal's stand at the Hanover Fair (Hall 11, Stand E06). "This new fuel cell system sets new standards in international comparison. It represents a clear demonstration of the innovative power of German industry", stressed Martin Roßmann, Rittal's Vice President for Research and Development.

RiCell Flex allows the first ever combination of the use of fuel cells as an emergency power system, together with the integration of unneeded energy in the smart power grids of the future. "Previously, a number of factors had stood in the way of fuel cell technology making a breakthrough", Mr. Roßmann said. "These included the high costs compared to conventional technologies, worries about energy consumption and efficiency, a complex structure in conjunction with expensive maintenance and service, as well as the inability to expand. We are now able to present the answer to all these challenges in the form of our modular system. Our RiCell Flex fuel cell is already ready for the market and the first orders have been made."

In the past, conventional fuel cells for stationary applications had seldom been economically competitive. The Rittal fuel cell provides classic stand-by emergency power and it can also be integrated in the intelligent power grid as a transducer. This permits entirely new business models for operators of emergency power and UPS systems, such as the providing reserve energy or minute reserves. Another drawback of fuel cell systems had been their complex technical structure and the associated high maintenance and service costs. The modular design of the Rittal system now means that fuel cell modules can be quickly and easily replaced. It also means that the downtime of equipment for repairs is minimised. RiCell Flex is scalable from 2.5 kW to 50 kW. This way, the system can be flexibly adapted to the required power.

Other major benefits of Rittal's fuel cell technology are the environmentally friendly, zero-emission energy conversion, as well as the high overall efficiency of up to 53 percent. The process is also very quiet, thanks to the direct conversion of chemical into electrical energy. The integration of previously unused energy sources in the grid of the future is also of particular ecological value. In Germany, around ten percent of total plant capacity is currently reserved for emergency power systems, batteries and UPS systems. These resources can be used in more economically and ecologically sensible ways in future.

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Rittal

Rittal GmbH & Co. KG, which has its headquarters in Herborn, Germany, is one of the world's leading system suppliers for housing and enclosure technologies, power distribution systems, system climate control and IT infrastructure. Customers from all sectors of industry, from mechanical and plant engineering, as well as from the IT and telecoms market, are making use of system solutions from Rittal.

Its broad product range also includes complete solutions for modular and energy-efficient data centres: from innovative security concepts for data systems (formerly known as Litcos) through to physical data and system security for IT infrastructures (formerly known as Lampertz). The leading software providers Eplan and Mind8 - Rittal subsidiaries - are supplementing the Rittal product portfolio with interdisciplinary engineering solutions.

Founded in 1961, Rittal is now active worldwide with 12 production sites, 63 subsidiaries and 40 agencies. With 9,000 employees worldwide, Rittal is the largest company of the proprietor-run Friedhelm Loh Group of Haiger, Germany. The entire group employs more than 10,500 people and generated revenues of more than € 2.2 billion in 2008. Further information at www.rittal.com and www.friedhelm-loh-group.com.