21 September 2015, 08:49
Andy Marsh Congratulates the National Retailer on Its Fuel Cell-Powered Forklift Fleet Deployment That Helps With Sustainability Efforts
Plug Power Inc., a leader in providing clean, reliable energy solutions, congratulates The Home Depot on its new distribution warehouse in Troy Township near Toledo, Ohio. Today, CEO Andy Marsh will attend the grand opening ceremony to offer his support to the sustainability-focused home repair giant, and commend the organization for its adoption of hydrogen fuel cells to power the center’s material handling vehicles.
The Home Depot implemented a comprehensive GenKey solution that improves productivity and eliminates lead-acid batteries in the warehouse. This included construction of an outdoor GenFuel hydrogen fueling infrastructure, installation of four indoor hydrogen-dispensing stations, and deployment of 172 Plug Power GenDrive fuel cells in the center’s forklift trucks. The package also includes GenCare aftermarket service and support.
“Moving towards a sustainable and productivity-enhancing operation is a big step for any company,” said Andy Marsh, CEO at Plug Power. “The sustainability-focused facility built by The Home Depot in Ohio bolsters its strategic plans for a successful, environmentally friendly, and revenue-enhancing site. On behalf of Plug Power, I congratulate The Home Depot on its grand opening and on the implementation of its new hydrogen fuel cell-powered lift truck fleet.”
With GenKey, The Home Depot has the ability to make a significant impact regarding site greenhouse gas emissions. Plug Power’s GenDrive fuel cells produce zero emissions, as only heat and water are generated as byproducts of the energy creation. The Home Depot’s decision to switch from lead-acid batteries to Plug Power’s hydrogen fuel cells provides a net annual savings of more than 800 tons of greenhouse gas CO2 emissions. These savings could increase to 9,000 tons of CO2 over the life of the project, the equivalent of removing more than 1,800 cars from the road.
Today, Plug Power is helping stimulate the global green movement. The company has commissioned more than 8,500 GenDrive fuel cells and to-date has constructed more than 15 GenFuel hydrogen-fueling infrastructures. Plug Power GenDrive units have accumulated more than 107 million hours of runtime and its GenFuel infrastructures have dispensed more than 330 metric tons of hydrogen, equating to more than 3,000 fills per day.