Madison's Virent generates electricity from hydrogen

Friday, January 27, 2006

A story by Tom Content in the Journal Sentinel details the progress of of Virent Energy Systems:

A first-ever effort to make electricity from hydrogen is generating power in Madison, using a sophisticated chemical process with a little help from a four-cylinder Ford engine.

The renewable energy system, developed by Virent Energy Systems, a Madison-based energy start-up, began sending electricity to the power grid in late December, said Virent Chief Executive Eric Apfelbach.

In 2003 RENEW interviewed the CEO Mark Daugerty who gave credit to Focus on Energy for the company's survival:

Focus on Energy was critical to Virent’s survival in the initial period. Without the support from Focus, Virent wouldn’t be nearly as far along, and we might be operating with only two or three people instead of six fulltime staff and about that many parttimers.