Voller shows remote interest in new markets

Voller Energy, the Hampshire developer of portable fuel cell technology, hopes to tap into a range of new markets with the launch of a system that can recharge equipment by remote control.

The new cell is aimed at devices such as surveillance cameras, wind turbines and monitoring devices that need constant energy in a variety of remote or potentially hostile environments.

According to Voller, these applications have traditionally used batteries which require regular manual attention. It claims the new system will re-charge automatically using software that logs and monitors the power level. This information can then be accessed and monitored remotely via a GPS phone link.

The VE100RM system is powered by hydrogen gas from a normal compressed cylinder and regulator. Once set up, the unit will automatically 'awaken' from standby mode to charge batteries when they drop below a pre-set voltage. This means that the useful lifetime of batteries will be extended and also reduce the number of man-hours wasted on checking and recharging, said the company.