Hydrogen BC elects new Chair and Vice-Chair for 2020-21

VANCOUVER – Hydrogen BC is pleased to announce the election of a new Chair and Vice-Chair for 2020-21.

Mr. Colin Armstrong, President and CEO of HTEC (Hydrogen Technology and Energy Corporation) has been elected as Chair.  Mr. Armstrong is a professional mechanical engineer with more than 30 years’ experience in the hydrogen sector. He is a founder of HTEC and has led the company since 2012. Mr. Armstrong is the driving force behind the development of British Columbia’s hydrogen station network, opening Canada’s first retail hydrogen fueling station in Vancouver in 2018 and additional stations in Greater Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna.  Prior to HTEC, Mr. Armstrong led hydrogen initiatives at Sacré-Davey Engineering, including an integrated waste hydrogen utilization project and the fueling project for a fleet of fuel cell buses operating in Whistler. Mr. Armstrong was also an investor and the lead engineer at Dynetek Industries (high-pressure carbon fiber gas storage cylinders) and worked at Ballard Power Systems to develop fuel cell manufacturing systems. Mr. Armstrong has served a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA) since 2011.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to help lead Hydrogen BC”, said Mr. Armstrong.  “Now is the time to act and align all the stakeholders. The province has a long heritage in the hydrogen sector, progressive government policies, and a wealth of clean energy supply and talent.”

Elected to the position of new Vice-Chair is Mr. Jeff Grant, Principal at Zen Clean Energy Solutions. Mr Grant leads the commercial and government business development activities at Zen and has an array of expertise in funding, technology, partner match-making, integration, operations and project management.  Mr. Grant previously spent 15 years at Ballard Power Systems in several key business development roles, including the commercial lead for the North American bus market, and account manager for Ballard’s largest customer at the time, Plug Power. Mr. Grant also led several key external relations activities at Ballard.  Mr. Grant has served as Chair of the Canadian Transportation Fuel Cell Alliance Working Group, the Canadian Sub-Committee to IEC TC/105, and the California Fuel Cell Partnership Bus Team.

“I’m pleased to take on this role of Vice-Chair for Hydrogen BC. British Columbia is one of the leading jurisdictions in the world for H2 and fuel cell activities”, said Mr. Grant.  “Through my work with the California Fuel Cell Partnership I was able to see first-hand the value that this type of public-private collaboration provides in accelerating the deployment of hydrogen infrastructure in a focused and organized way.”

The new Chair and Vice-Chair began their tenure on Tuesday, November 17th.

 

About Hydrogen BC

Hydrogen BC is regional branch of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA) in British Columbia.  Established with the support of the BC Government, Hydrogen BC is comprised of a public-private partnership with the mandate to promote the rollout of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and hydrogen fueling stations (HFS) in the province.  In addition, Hydrogen BC works to ensure safe operation of HFS & FCEVs by sharing best practices developed in Canada and abroad while working with other industries to forecast demand for low-carbon hydrogen.

 

About the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA)

The Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA) is a national, non-profit association that supports Canadian companies, governments, research institutions and academia in the development, demonstration and deployment of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in Canada and overseas.  Established in 2009, the CHFCA has over 70 members across Canada as well as two regional branches in British Columbia (Hydrogen BC) and Quebec (Hydrogène Québec).  The CHFCA’s members specialize in fuel cell stack development, hydrogen production, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, energy storage, vehicle manufacturing, components and materials, research, engineering and consulting.