AFS Trinity Power Expands Role to Integrate Flywheel UPS With Fuel Cell and Microturbine Companies.

Business Editors

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 1, 2001

Privately held AFS Trinity Power Corp. (AFS Trinity) today reported the first of what it believes will be several announcements this year regarding sales and partnering relationships with fuel cell, microturbine and other companies with advanced distributed power generating technologies.

AFS Trinity's role with distributed power companies is to store and instantly make available power required for initial startup as well as to ride through sags, spikes and other limitations of primary energy sources. In the case of fuel cells, which provide excellent, clean, base-load power, the AFS Trinity flywheel system will act as a "passing gear" or load leveling device.

The first of these announcements, according to AFS Trinity Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Edward W. Furia, was a separate news release today from Inverpower Controls Ltd. (TSE:IPW) in which AFS Trinity and FuelCell Energy Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL) participated.

Inverpower and FuelCell Energy will use an advanced flywheel product from AFS Trinity in a system demonstration project showcasing FuelCell Energy's 300kW Direct Fuel Cell and an advanced power electronics system from Inverpower.

Earlier this year, AFS Trinity announced a strategic partnership with Calpine c*Power, a subsidiary of Calpine Corp. (NYSE:CPN), in which AFS Trinity flywheel ride-through power products will be marketed by Calpine as an advanced component of Calpine's highly reliable power systems designed to service datacom ports.

Under the Calpine agreement, AFS Trinity products are the exclusive flywheel UPS systems that will be offered by Calpine to its datacom customers, and Calpine has exclusive rights to co-brand AFS Trinity flywheel UPS products for such applications. AFS Trinity retains the rights to sell these products through other channels using AFS Trinity Power Corp. brands.

"We can all see the energy future changing rapidly," Furia said. "We need more power, we need it to be more reliable and we need it to be more accessible.

"I certainly agree with the recent Wall Street observation that the new world of energy is moving from reliance on a central power grid to distributed power which will be available where it is needed in the same manner that the computing world shifted from reliance on centrally controlled main frame computers to widely distributed, independent personal computers.

"At first, new power technology will be used to back up the Utility Grid and then, in many situations, will actually replace it. AFS Trinity is actively participating in the broad convergence of distributed power generation, power electronics and storage technologies to produce integrated, independent, distributed systems.

"In a fairly short time, users of power will stop having to `assemble' emerging technologies and will be able to buy well-established, integrated, turn key distributed power systems virtually off-the-shelf. AFS Trinity's goal is, ultimately, to be the pre-eminent provider of start-up and peak-following energy storage in a majority of fuel cell, microturbine, genset, renewable and other distributed power generation systems."

AFS Trinity Power is a private company that holds the world's leading body of flywheel power and energy storage technologies. In 1992, the company was granted the first U.S. and international patents for an advanced flywheel energy storage system and now holds, is applying for, and has disclosures for more than 20 additional U.S. and international system and component patents.

After developing technologies for many defense, NASA and other government-sponsored programs, the company has begun taking orders for new civilian power tech products that it expects to begin shipping this coming summer.

For more information including how advanced flywheels work and why they offer previously unavailable benefits to consumers, the economy and the environment, go to www.afstrinity.com.

For more information contact Laurie Westdahl, AFS Trinity, 425/454-1818 or for media inquiries contact Timothy Kent, TCKir, 310/721-4991. See AFS Trinity's Web Site at www.afstrinitypower.com or e-mail [e-mail].

Some statements in this news release are forward-looking. These statements may be identified by the use of words such as "will," "expects," "believes," "targets," "intends" and words of similar import. Actual results may vary depending on circumstances both within and outside the control of the company, including market acceptance of products, technology development cycles and other risk factors. Neither AFS nor Trinity nor AFS Trinity takes responsibility for updating any forward-looking statements made in this release.