Acta launches integrated back-up power system

ActaS.p.A.

("Acta" or "the Company")

ActaS.p.A launches integrated back-up power system for telecoms market

ActaS.p.A. (AIM:ACTA), the clean energy products company, is today launching a back-up power system for the telecommunications market based on its award-winning hydrogen generator technology, for grid-connected and off-grid applications. This product addresses the large and rapidly growing demand for back-up power systems for telecom base stations in Asia, which has become a key growth market for fuel cell systems.

Acta's new product, the Acta Power, incorporates low cost hydrogen generation onsite, thus avoiding the cost and logistical barriers of hydrogen delivery to base stations in remote or inaccessible locations. It represents an important step forwards for the Company, and has been designed based upon the requests and technical requirements of its customers and partners, and drawing on the benefit of prototype field trials that have been running since mid-2012.

Initial pricing for the system is in the region of €30,000-€40,000, depending on specification. The Company estimates that this price is less than half the current selling price of comparable systems based on a fuel cell with standard PEM electrolyser, and that its low maintenance and service costs make the system cost-competitive with battery or diesel systems over a two-three year period, while offering more robust performance parameters and lower theft risk.

Acta is building its first three units to order and expects first customer deliveries in the summer of 2013. For the fuel cell system components, Acta has chosen the well-established and technically advanced fuel cell system of FutureE, which is based on a Ballard fuel cell stack. FutureE is also working with Acta to incorporate Acta's electrolyser into its Jupiter back-up power system, which it has sold into various major customers including China Mobile.

The Acta Power system will be available with a 2kW or 4kW power output and with a 500 L/h or 1000 L/h hydrogen generator, and includes flexible, complete wireless GSM communication for remote management, control, alarm and assistance. These features are ideal for the telecom back-up power and the energy independent home markets.

The system is being presented for the first time at the Hannover Messe this week on Acta's booth B59 in the Energy Hall 27. Acta's CEO, Paolo Bert, will be speaking about the new product on Wednesday 10th April at 12:40 in the public Forum of the Group Exhibit Hydrogen and Fuel Cells at the Hannover Messe.

Paolo Bert, Chief Executive of Acta, said: "We are excited about presenting this self-recharging fuel cell system at the Hannover Messe, which answers the most frequent and pressing requests that we receive from fuel cell back-up power customers.

Working with FutureE's leading-edge fuel cell system, combined with our efficient and low-cost electrolyser, means that we will be able to put onto the market for the first time an advanced, efficient, self-recharging, low cost fuel cell back-up power system, designed for the needs of the telecommunications industry. We are confident that this end user product will also open a very large market in domestic renewable energy storage and energy independent homes."

Mark-Uwe Osswald, Founder and Managing Director of FutureE, added: "We are delighted that Acta has chosen FutureE as their supplier of fuel cell units for the Acta Power System. The combination of the Acta and FutureE capabilities will deliver a high quality, powerful and cost effective unit to the market which will greatly enhance the progress and acceptance of hydrogen fuel cell systems as the next generation of UPS."

Larry Stapleton, Vice President of Sales at Ballard Power Systems said, "We have been providing our fuel cell stacks to FutureE for use in its backup power system for several years now and it is great that we can work with Acta in their latest product launch to address the telecoms market. Ballard's FCgen-1020ACS air-cooled fuel cell stack is a highly reliable power source, currently deployed in more than 2,000 backup power systems worldwide."

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About ActaS.p.A.

ActaS.p.A. is a developer and manufacturer of a range of clean energy products. Its product line includes market-leading compact hydrogen generators (electrolysers) which produce pure, dry and compressed hydrogen in a way that is easy-to-use and completely safe, and the Company is committed to integrating its award-winning electrolysers with renewable energy sources.

Acta's cost-competitive electrolysers are based on its proprietary, inexpensive environmental catalyst and hydrogen conversion technologies. These products help overcome the barriers to the adoption of fuel cells, most notably the lack of a local hydrogen infrastructure. They are also applicable in non-fuel cell hydrogen and oxygen applications, including oxy-hydrogen gas welding systems, where the Company is generating significant commercial interest.

Acta's low-cost hydrogen generators represent a unique breakthrough in electrolyser technology. They can operate using mains power or intermittent renewable energy, and produce clean, dry hydrogen already at pressure for use in fuel cell and other applications. This unique combination of features avoids the system complexity and energy cost of further cleaning, drying and compression of the hydrogen, resulting in a simple, compact, low-cost and highly efficient system that is ideally suited for energy conversion and storage applications. In such applications, which include battery replacement and renewable energy storage, low cost and high efficiency are critical to commercial viability, while hydrogen compression is essential for the energy density of the system. No other water electrolyser currently on the market offers this combination of benefits.

Acta is focusing on delivering its products to markets with high volume demand for high-value environmental solutions (transport, back-up power, energy and leisure). It is accelerating the commercialisation of its products via partnerships with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, and agents in these sectors, and intends to drive down production costs at high volume via contract manufacturing.

ActaS.p.A. is based near Pisa, Italy, and was admitted to trading on AIM in October 2005.

www.actagroup.it

About FutureE GmbH

In German-speaking countries, FutureE Fuel Cell Solutions GmbH is the leading provider of stationary fuel cell systems in the telecommunications sector. The globally operating company based in the vicinity of Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg/Germany, concentrates its business activities on the development of highly innovative and efficient system solutions for professional applications.

Its advanced fuel cell systems and customized energy solutions fully correspond to internationally valid quality standards and type approval tests. Minimum complexity and maximum flexibility guarantee increased performance and a long service life, combined with low operating and maintenance costs.

"We provide intelligent solutions that enable environmental protection and, at the same time, a responsible use of natural resources", states Managing Director Mark-UweOsswald. FutureE fuel cell systems are characterised by a large number of outstanding features such as functional reliability, high efficiency ratio and extremely fast response times. In its capacity as systems supplier, FutureE provides development, production and installation service for its highly innovative range of fuel cell systems.

Furthermore, the company stands out for its high level of service quality, including comprehensive pre and after sales support that ranges from energy demand analyses at the customer's premises to full installation, supervising, monitoring and maintenance service agreements. FutureE is certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2008.

http://future-e.de/en/

About Ballard

Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLD) (NASDAQ: BLDP) provides clean energy fuel cell products enabling optimized power systems for a range of applications. Products deliver incomparable performance, durability and versatility. To learn more about Ballard, please visit www.ballard.com.