Ballard Power Systems congratulates Toyota Tsusho Corporation, on its sale of 5 Ballard FCgen®-H2PM backup power systems under a Distribution Agreement with Ballard

VANCOUVER, CANADA and TOKYO, JAPAN - Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP) congratulates Toyota Tsusho Corporation ("Toyota Tsusho"), on its sale of 5 Ballard FCgen®-H2PM backup power systems under a Distribution Agreement with Ballard, to be used as part of a renewable emergency power system installed under the "Soma Revitalization Smart Community Construction Project" in Japan. The renewable emergency power system will undergo verification testing by IHI Corporation.

IHI Corporation won a government tender in 2017 to lead the development of this project, which seeks to build a regional energy management system using renewable energy in special areas within Fukushima Prefecture's Soma City - such as industrial estates and municipal offices - for the purpose of local power production and consumption, cost reduction, and regional revitalization.

In the Soma Revitalization Smart Community Construction Project, excess electricity generated through solar power is used to create hydrogen for storage. In times of emergencies Ballard FCgen®-H2PM systems will be used to generate and provide a stable supply of 25 kilowatts of electricity. Further details of the project are described in a Toyota Tsusho press release that can be found here.

Jesper Themsen, CEO of Ballard Power Systems Europe A/S commented, "Compared to conventional backup technologies, such as batteries and diesel generators, our FCgen®-H2PM systems are field-proven in Europe and elsewhere to provide higher reliability, lower maintenance costs, significant environmental benefits as well as extended duration network uptime. We are pleased to be working with Toyota Tsusho and providing our system for critical power generation requirements in Japan."

Click here to read a case study of the FCgen®-H2PM.

Ballard and Toyota Tsusho announced a Distribution Agreement in 2016 under which Toyota Tsusho acts as a distributor of Ballard-powered fuel cell products in Japan. Toyota Tsusho is the Toyota Group's sole general trading company and is one of the largest trading companies in Japan.

About Ballard Power Systems

Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP) provides clean energy products that reduce customer costs and risks, and helps customers solve difficult technical and business challenges in their fuel cell programs. To learn more about Ballard, please visit www.ballard.com.

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