Hydrogen Projects Finding Mixed Funding Sources

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53335

Hydrogen projects that cut across a wide spectrum of applications are managing to find enough ramp-up funding from government, industrial, private and academic sources such that several technologies are already breaking in to the commercial space, and others should become mainstream within one or two decades, sector executives say.

"There is never enough investment in hydrogen, but there is a reasonable flow of private capital, and a lot of it is venture capital," says Robert Rose, the executive director of the U.S. Fuel Cell Council, in Washington, DC.

Hydrogen is still being touted as one of the most promising technologies for renewable energy, though it may have been eclipsed somewhat by solar and wind over the past few years. Nonetheless, applications are emerging. China has a fleet of 20 hydrogen-powered Volkswagens for use at the Olympics this month. The World Trade Center has ordered a US $10.6 million hydrogen-based system from UTC Power to generate 4.8 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy. And British Petroleum is planning to build a hydrogen power plant in Abu Dhabi with the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co.

While much public attention has thus far been focused on the past and much delayed promise of commercial technology for a hydrogen-based fleet of cars — which is still in a trial mode — the use of hydrogen as an alternative means of transferring and storing energy is firmly marching forward.

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[phantom power]

1. "There is never enough investment in hydrogen."

Coincidentally, I have gone on record several times with my employers that there is never enough investment in my software projects, or specifically my salary.

:evilgrin: