HYDROGEN-POWERED FORKLIFTS RAISE GREENING OF SPARTANBURG
BMW
Manufacturing Co., in Spartanburg, SC, is kicking off production of the
all-new X3 by using material-handling equipment powered by hydrogen
fuel cells.
Fuel
cells take stored chemical energy - in this case, hydrogen - and
convert it into electrical energy. The only by-products are heat and
water, making hydrogen fuel cells more efficient and eco-friendly than
electric or other more conventional energy sources.
The
more than 85 forklifts, stackers and tuggers will be one of the largest
hydrogen fuel-cell fleets in the United States. BMW Manufacturing
estimates that this will save 1.8 million kilowatt hours per year in
electricity consumption - a perfect complement to BMW's successful
Landfill Gas-to-Energy initiative, where methane gas from a local
landfill powers approximately half of the plant's total energy
requirements.