Feds give $9M for Florida fuel-cell research

The federal funding that the University of North Florida has received to develop lighter, more energy-efficient fuel cells has topped $9 million.

The total value of contracts from the U.S. Army and the U.S. Department of Energy to research direct methanol fuel cells is the most UNF has received for technology research. The fuel cells will allow laptops to be powered for 10 times longer than traditional batteries, thus taking some of the weight off soldiers.

“The Army and DOE funding allows the school of engineering to attract research faculty, teaching faculty and students who might not otherwise come to UNF,” Jim Fletcher, head of the project and a UNF mechanical engineering professor, said in a news release. “Some graduates and faculty may be involved in UNF spinoff companies based on these underlying technologies that can bring high-tech jobs and patents to the First Coast region.”

Fletcher previously likened the difference between batteries and fuel cells to that between electric cars, which need to be charged, and traditional cars, which need to be refueled. The direct methanol fuel cell stays the same size and soldiers need to carry extra fuel, as opposed to extra batteries, which are heavier.

UNF partnered with PolyFuel, a Mountain View, Calif., producer of membranes used in methanol and hydrogen fuel cells. The partnership has given UNF a presence in the Silicon Valley in California and Vancouver, Canada, where PolyFuel has operational facilities.

Read the full post in the Jacksonville Business Journal.