London & Singapore - Mar 1, 2012 - Horizon and Arcola Energy Ltd have formed an exclusive partnership to provide deployment, customization and integration support to a wide range of companies launching Horizon fuel cell powered products in the UK. Arcola's London-based fuel cell mass-customisation platform spans from small portable to transport-scale applications including the 150-500W HyLight family of portable power & lighting solutions and 3kW-6kW motive power systems for lightweight vehicles. As a result of this localised initiative, an increasing number of Horizon-enabled, and Arcola-integrated fuel cell products are expected to launch from the UK into Horizon's powerful fuel cell distribution network, which now spans 45 countries.

Arcola Energy has also commenced work on the first UK-based deployment of next generation Horizon Fuel Cell stacks powered by Johnson Matthey's HiSPEC MEAs. The newly designed XP-Series stacks will build on the success of the existing H-Series air cooled, self humidifying 12W-5kW stacks; several thousand of which have been sold worldwide in the past 3 years. New materials, together with numerous design changes, make the new Horizon fuel cell stacks lighter, more compact, more efficient and have increased lifetime.

An increasing number of UK companies such as BOC, for whom Horizon manufacture the Hymera portable fuel cell generator, and Riversimple's lightweight urban vehicles, will benefit from phased migration to the new stacks; whilst new clients to be announced soon, will start with the new stacks immediately.

Dr Ben Todd, Managing Director of Arcola Energy Ltd and Managing Director of Horizon Fuel Cell UK Ltd said "This is a crucial step forward in Arcola Energy's strategy to capture value for the UK in the global fuel cell supply chain - we now have a Blue-Chip UK company supplying MEAs and a UK SME providing integration services to Horizon Fuel Cell's global network of national market-development partners."

Martin Green, Strategic Development Director at Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells said "I am delighted to see Johnson Matthey MEAs being incorporated into Horizon fuel cell products and to see UK SMEs taking a leading role in developing fuel cell applications."

Dr Arthur Koschany, Chief Technology Officer at Horizon Fuel Cell said "Switching to the Johnson Matthey MEAs is an important step forward for Horizon in establishing higher power product capability and fully commercial fuel cell stacks. The UK is rapidly becoming a centre of excellence in the integration of Horizon Fuel Cell products and we welcome these partnerships."

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Pte Ltd was founded in Singapore in 2003 and currently owns 5 international subsidiaries, including a new subsidiary in the United States. Having started commercialization with small and simple products while preparing for larger and more complex applications, Horizon already emerged as the world's largest volume producer of commercial micro-fuel cell products, serving retail and OEM customers in over 65 countries. In 2009, the team also began Horizon Energy Systems, a separate company in Singapore to apply its ultra-light fuel cell technologies in Aerospace & Defense. www.horizonfuelcell.com

Arcola Energy is a multi-disciplinary developer, manufacturer and retailer of fuel cell-based low carbon energy solutions. We operate across a wide range of markets with applications in home, industry, construction, entertainment, education and aerospace sectors. Our business is applying understanding of end-user needs to deliver cost-effective customised solutions to individual end-users and OEM clients. Our success is built on open and collaborative relationships with clients, suppliers and partners. Arcola Energy is the UK agent and distributor for Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies. Development of Arcola's mass customisation manufacturing approach is supported by the UK Technology Strategy Board. www.arcolaenergy.com

BOC is a member of The Linde Group. An industrial, medical and special gases provider, the company supplies compressed and bulk gases, chemicals and equipment. For more than a century the company's gases and expertise have contributed to advances in many areas of everyday life, and industries including steelmaking, refining, chemical processing, environmental protection, wastewater treatment, welding and cutting, food processing and distribution, glass production, electronics and health care. www.BOConline.co.uk

Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells is a global business, dedicated to the supply of high quality fuel cell components for hydrogen and methanol fuelled systems. The business has operations in the UK, USA and Japan, including a state of the art manufacturing facility in Swindon, UK. Within the rapidly changing fuel cell market, Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells is at the forefront of development of precious metal catalyst systems and membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) and is able to tailor products to specific applications, designs and operating conditions to achieve the best possible performance. MEAs are the key component at the heart of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, the leading technology behind hydrogen powered transport, portable and residential fuel cells. www.jmfuelcells.com

The Technology Strategy Board is a business-led government body which works to create economic growth by ensuring that the UK is a global leader in innovation. Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy. www.innovateuk.org