Sydney, 30 June 2008 – Rittal, a leading worldwide provider of electronic packaging technologies, has unveiled its RiCell 5 kW fuel cell system.

Featuring a stand-alone power supply, the RiCell is suitable for an extensive range of applications in transport and environmental technology, power engineering, IT and telecommunications.

For example, the fuel cell can be used in tunnels as an emergency back-up generator in case of power supply failures. Fuel cells are also ideally suited for supplying power to stand-alone measuring stations collecting meteorological data or measuring particulate matter emissions.

RiCell can also be employed as an alternative power source to safeguard critical processes in the power supply field and in power plants. RiCell prevents expensive system failures if used as emergency power backup at mobile phone base stations and in network technology.

The ready-to-connect 5 kW fuel cell features an internal consumption of hydrogen which has been reduced by 16 per cent from 75 to 63 standard litres per minute, thereby achieving a significant cost saving.

In standby operation, the new RiCell actually requires only 200 watts instead of the 400 watts of its predecessor. Mechanical improvements and easy access also make the RiCell maintenance-friendly.

“Fuel cell technology is one of the most appealing future technologies for providing electricity in an autonomous, environmentally friendly power supply. At the same time, Rittal has extensive experience of successful fuel cell applications and is an active promoter of the technology in this sector,” said Mark Roberts, Business Development Manager, Rittal.

About Rittal

With an off-the-shelf range of over 10,000 standard products, Rittal is one of the world's leading system suppliers of housing and enclosure technologies and an in-demand solutions partner in all segments of the IT market. The company is one of the top international sources of 19" rack systems and is an OEM supplier to numerous leading server manufacturers.

The Rittal product range incorporates a multitude of unique solutions for the configuration of complex computer and data processing centres, including network and server racks, power management, cooling, monitoring, IT security and interactive terminal system.

Rittal operates 19 high-tech production locations, 60 international subsidiaries, 150 sales and logistics centres, and more than 70 agencies around the globe. With about 9,000 employees worldwide, Rittal International is the largest company of the Friedhelm Loh Group, based in Haiger, Germany.