$5.4M supports green technology R&D

Kingston, ON – The Ontario Fuel Cell Research and Innovation Network (OFCRIN), based at Queens University, is receiving a funding boost from the Ontario government.

OFCRIN, a partnership between researchers from eight universities and 12 industry partners, has been awarded $5.4 million to develop new materials and manufacturing methods for fuel cells. Because of their high efficiency, fuel cells are able to significantly reduce the production of greenhouse gas emissions.

We are involved in a number of collaborations with the private sector to improve the performance of fuel cells, and are working with several companies who will be the end-users of fuel cell products, says Dr Brant Peppley, OFCRIN director (chemical engineering). This grant will enable OFCRIN to train the highly skilled personnel who will drive this industry as it grows.

Fuel cells are a particularly promising technology for the automotive sector, where manufacturing methods can be easily adapted to produce fuel cell systems. As the lead location for automotive manufacturing in Canada, Ontario is poised to become a leading global centre for fuel cell production.

In addition to Queens, the other institutions involved in OFCRIN are: Royal Military College, McMaster University, University of Western Ontario, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, University of Ottawa, University of Waterloo, and University of Toronto.