Oorja Protonics has agreed a deal to commercialise its direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) system for the telecoms market in South Africa.
The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Powertech System Integrators (PTSI) and HySA/Catalysis to develop the technology in the platinum-rich nation.
HySA/Catalysis, co-hosted by the University of Cape Town and Mintek, is one of three centres created to establish the technical and scientific base for South African participation in the global hydrogen and fuel cell technology markets.
Powertech System Integrators is an established player in the telecoms and back-up power sector, installing and managing large turnkey managed services.
Dr Sanjiv Malhotra, chief executive officer and president of Oorja Protonics, said: “This is a very unique relationship between our respective companies since this marks the entry of Oorja into the South African telecom market and Powertech and HySA are the right partners for assisting in this endeavour.”
Kennith Shuda, PTSI engineering manager said: “We will add value with our in-house developed remote monitoring system that collects the performance data from all the fuel cells in the field and our seven years of in-depth technical knowledge and experience with fuel cell systems from various international suppliers.”
