SFC Smart Fuel Cell Wins Cleantech’s Emerging Enterprise of the Year Award
BRUNNTHAL/MUNICH, Germany — April 30, 2009 — SFC Smart Fuel Cell, leading supplier of fuel cell products for mobile and off-grid power applications, has been named the winner of the 2009 Emerging Enterprise of the Year Award by Cleantech Group, an international company that promotes the development and commercialization of clean technologies.
According to Cleantech, the award is given to companies “that have demonstrated rapid growth and/or provided a high realized return to investors by bringing a truly disruptive clean technology or business model to the market.”
SFC, which has sold more than 13,000 of its direct methanol fuel cells for leisure, industrial and defense applications, is one of only two companies that received awards at Cleantech Forum XXII, April 28-30, in Copenhagen, Denmark.
At the forum, which is an annual gathering of executives of clean-technology companies and clean-tech investors and experts, Dr. Peter Podesser, SFC’s chief executive officer, described SFC’s rise to leadership in the fuel-cell market and provided a look ahead for the clean-tech industry.
“Our EFOY fuel cells have dramatically improved the power-supply options in the leisure and industrial markets by providing clean, quiet and reliable off-grid electricity, and our solutions for defense organizations, such as the JENNY fuel cell, have significantly reduced the weight load soldiers in the field carry while providing them with 100 percent reliable power,” said Dr. Podesser. “Receiving this Emerging Enterprise of the Year Award from Cleantech Group sends a strong message about both the growing markets for alternative energy sources and SFC’s leadership in the fuel cell industry.”
Richard Youngman, managing director of Cleantech Group/Europe, said the Emerging Enterprise of the Year Award also recognizes SFC’s achievement as the fastest-growing clean technology company in the Deloitte Technology 2008 Fast 500 EMEA listing. The program recognizes technology companies that have achieved the fastest rates of annual revenue growth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa during the previous five years. SFC also ranked third in Deloitte’s Fast 50 for 2008, recognizing outstanding business achievements by German technology companies. Deloitte is a top supporting organization of Cleantech Group.
The Cleantech Emerging Enterprise of the Year Award is the sixth major international award or official recognition that SFC has received in the past year.
The Cleantech Group pioneered clean technology as an investment category in 2002. Today, it accelerates the development and market adoption of clean technologies. Its clients represent more than $3 trillion in assets.
About SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG
SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG is market leader in fuel cell technologies for mobile and off-grid power applications serving the leisure, industrial and defense markets. As one of Germany’s technology pioneers, SFC has won numerous innovation awards. SFC has alliances with leading companies in a wide range of industries. Unlike most other fuel cell manufacturers, who are in the research and development phase or run subsidized demonstration projects, SFC has shipped more than 13,000 fully commercial products to industrial and private end users for more than four years, and has created a convenient fuel cartridge supply infrastructure. SFC is DIN ISO 9001:2000 certified. SFC is based in Brunnthal, Germany, and has a U.S. sales and technical service office in Atlanta.