SFC Smart Fuel Cell Wins Enterprise Award
SFC Smart Fuel Cell of Brunnthal, Germany, a 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, Peter Podesser, Ph.D., SFC's chief executive officer, described the company'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 Podesser.
Richard Youngman, managing director of Cleantech Group/Europe, said the award also recognizes the company'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.
SFC has a U.S. sales and technical service office in Atlanta, Ga.