The air-conditioning orders have a combined net value of more than US$350 000, and are from a number of customers around the world. The 107 direct current air-conditioning 1.5-tonne systems, which can operate off-grid, are being manufactured under the brand name Securus by SolCool, which Neah Power acquired a year ago.

Neah Power says that the initial global wholesale customers for these systems are renewable energy contractors, major cell phone carriers in the US and India, the state of Idaho, a testing contractor for the US Navy, green builders, and universities.

‘These DC air conditioning systems are integral to our RAPS (Remote Area Power Supplies), which allows us to offer, along with our partners, pollution-free, renewable energy in regions of the world, such as China, India, and Africa, that still do not have electricity,’ says Dr Chris D’Couto, CEO of Neah Power.

Neah Power has also demonstrated its novel DMFC as a battery charger for the majority of existing battery-based systems, including traditional 12 V valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries, nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium ion, nickel zinc and other rechargeable battery platforms in a wide variety of consumer, industrial, and military markets.

While Neah Power’s fuel cell can power external devices directly, this new capability enables fuel cell integration in most existing low-power (i.e. battery-based) platforms.