Generac buys into Watt Fuel Cell

Power products company Generac announced a minority equity investment in Watt Fuel Cell Corp., a maker of low emissions solid oxide fuel cell stacks and systems.

“The combination of highly efficient fuel cells with solar and energy storage, provides a low-carbon solution for homeowners seeking resilience and energy independence,” said Patrick Forsythe, chief technical officer at Generac.

The companies will combine Watt’s highly reliable, low-emission technology with Generac’s clean energy portfolio of products, which includes microinverters and battery storage system solutions.

“Generac’s strong expertise in residential home resiliency and clean energy products will provide access to a national base of installation partners, thereby accelerating the path to a low carbon future. We look forward to all the incredible opportunities this partnership will provide,” said Caine Finnerty, president and co-founder of Watt.

As a part of the investment, a member of the Generac executive team will join the Watt board of directors, said the company.

Watt’s Imperium fuel cell makes power with no combustion and low emissions, using an electrochemical process that generates electricity from hydrogen molecules derived from one of several readily available fuel options such as propane, natural gas, or hydrogen.

“We are excited about this investment in Watt and look forward to collaborating towards the integration of this advanced technology into the Generac home energy ecosystem,” said Forsythe.

Founded in 1959, Generac, based in Waukesha, Wisconsin, said it introduced “the first affordable backup generator and later created the category of automatic home standby generator.”