Proton Power soars after winning Orkney fuel cell order

Shares in Green power provider Proton Power Systems soared after the company said it had won a €0.5m order to provide a containerised fuel cell stationary power system for the Orkney Islands "Surf and Turf" project.

The project involves generating hydrogen from wind and tidal energy and using it as the energy storage medium, Proton said in a statement. The hydrogen is used to provide electricity for the Orkney Islands harbour.

“The wind and seas around the Orkney Islands provide an abundance of renewable energy resources. Through concerted efforts, communities like Orkney Islands are now starting to see the benefits of ownership of renewable power generation capacity,” Proton said.

“This project will see the Orkney Islands take a small, but important, step towards rising to the challenge of managing the limits of its energy infrastructure. This project will help unlock the constraints imposed by 20th century power cables and a is great demonstration of how our technology can help overcome the shortcomings of the local electricity grid.”

Proton will provide a 75kVA containerized fuel cell stationary power system to be delivered this year.

Chief executive Faiz Francoise Nahab said he expected a fast growing demand worldwide for this type of application.

“Storing wind and solar energy is a big challenge and we have the right solution to use such green energy in stationary or mobile applications," Nahab said.

The shares were up 12.86% to 3.95p at 1055 BST.