Energy Partners Announces New Company President

19 August 1999

Energy Partners Announces New Company President and Plans for PEM Fuel Cell Commercialization Expansion Program

    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.--Aug. 18, 1999--Energy Partners, L.C. a leading fuel cell technology company today announced the appointment of a new President and CEO to lead the firm's commercialization and expansion of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell Technology.
    Dr. George Joy joins Energy Partners after a successful career with the U.S. Department of Commerce, AlliedSignal Inc., and UOP Inc. Joy was most recently the Chair for the PNGV (Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles) Task Force at the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. He led the program management across seven Federal agencies' technical efforts and was the technical liaison with DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors. PNGV is recognized as a successful model for government and industry partnering in high risk technology developments of advanced automotive technologies.
    As Director of Strategic Technology Development for AlliedSignal Inc, Joy directed the corporate wide strategic technology planning process and launched new product developments in both the national and international marketplaces. Throughout his twenty two-year tenure with AlliedSignal and UOP he successfully led new product and strategic business initiatives that led to new commercial products, new business activities, and the building of strong customer oriented technical organizations. Joy stated today "I am extremely excited to be a part of the Energy Partners organization. The company is at the leading edge of a rapidly developing new technology to generate electrical power at homes and businesses from natural gas or propane. Fuel cell technology is attractive because it is very efficient and nearly pollution free. Energy Partners is widely recognized for its technical excellence and is working with a number of leading companies to bring fuel cell products to the mass market."
    Joy received his Ph.D. & M.S. in Inorganic Chemistry from Northwestern University and his B.A., with honors in Chemistry, from Grinnell College. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Society of Automotive Engineers, Engineering Society of Detroit, and North American Catalysis Society.
    Energy Partners, L.C., a leading PEM fuel cell research, design, and manufacturing company is currently seeking opportunities with electric and gas utilities and other industry players in the electricity generation market. Energy Partners has developed stationary power systems for the single family residential and small commercial business markets and also expects to have products for the auto industry.
    Energy Partners is the first fuel cell company to produce electricity for home applications and is the first to produce electricity from natural gas. The company's new products will merge compact gas fuel processing units with fuel cell technology. The target manufacturing costs are $600 to $800 per kW. The company recently made a major commercialization advance by producing bi-polar collector plates, a major component in the PEM fuel cell stack at significantly lower costs. Industry reports recently stated that overcoming these critical technology barriers will drive down the manufacturing costs allowing for faster market growth.
    Since 1985 Energy Partners has been at the forefront of PEM fuel cell technology development. They are transitioning into a product-based company with near term focus on the primary, back-up power and micro-cogeneration markets. Their reputation for quality, performance, and reliability is known throughout government and industry.