Patents are secured for company's hydrogen refuelling

The Sheffield-based firm, which has developed an electrolyser system to convert electricity into hydrogen gas, can now license its technology into other markets, such as medical, drug delivery and water purification – although chief executive Graham Cooley said ITM was not looking to enter these areas itself.

It also said it had appointed former Conservative Party deputy chairman Lord Freeman, who served in John Major's government, as a non-executive director.

Both the European and Japanese patents broaden the ITM materials and production methods related to electrochemical cells.

Dr Cooley, who was brought in last year to commercialise ITM's technology, said: "We have now broadened the scope of the intellectual property and the next step can be anything we want it to be."

ITM has created a HFuel high-pressure refueller, and has already signed up two local authorities as well as logistics firm DHL, London Stansted Airport and the Forestry Commission.

Its innovative electrolyser technology creates high-purity hydrogen from electricity and water. Trials will start next year and will provide each council with two Ford Transit vans run on hydrogen generated by portable refuellers.

Dr Cooley said: "We are showing how energy storage can help you integrate renewable power into the energy system."

Yesterday 200 people from 11 countries, including potential customers and suppliers, investors and fleet managers, attended an open day at ITM which was timed to coincide with the firm's annual general meeting.

ITM officials launched HFuel yesterday after six months of preparation. Trials will begin early next year, Dr Cooley said, when clients such as Sheffield City Council and the London Borough of Camden will get one week's free trial of HFuel and two Transit vans, and an option to lease both HFuel and vehicles for extra weeks. The demonstrations will be run and managed by ITM staff.

Earlier this year ITM sold its first product, a hydrogen generator, to the University of Birmingham's fuel cell laboratory, which it hailed as a "landmark" moment in its drive to create a leading hydrogen fuel company.

Yesterday the firm said in a statement that it faced "several technical challenges" but it now had the structure to tackle them, having recruited an experienced electrochemist for the technical team, made "major" advances in design that would improve efficiency and built relationships with companies.

The group is still waiting for CE certification, but once this is in place, hopes for a ramp up in orders.

ITM has previously shown off its technology to senior politicians including Nick Clegg, Vince Cable and Alistair Darling, the former Chancellor.

The coalition Government has taken a strong interest in powering cars with renewable energy and Dr Cable, the Business Secretary, took the

world's only commercially available fuel-cell car, made by Honda, for a spin following a Cabinet meeting earlier this week.

MISSION FOR EX-MINISTER

Lord Freeman is currently chairman of Thales Holdings (UK) and chairman of the advisory boards of PricewaterhouseCoopers (UK). He joins ITM Power as a non-executive director from October 1.

Roger Freeman contested Don Valley in the 1979 General Election and became Conservative MP for Kettering between 1983 and 1997, spending time as Minister for public transport and also defence procurement.

His went on to serve in John Major's cabinet as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and was made a life peer after leaving the Commons. He said: "The UK faces some very serious challenges to meet our existing emissions targets and reduce our country's carbon footprint. ITM Power is adding value to renewables in a way that will help us meet those challenges."

Roger Putnam, chairman of ITM, said: "His experience and contacts will be invaluable to us in commercialising our technology and entering new markets.

"His knowledge of government in particular will be of great benefit as we seek to inform and persuade politicians of the long term virtues of hydrogen for fuel."