A coalition of 26 leading fuel cell companies presented the Bush Administration and Congress with a report for a national fuel cell and hydrogen strategy, entitled "Fuel Cells and Hydrogen: The Path Forward," which presents a comprehensive strategy for federal investment in fuel cell technology and fuel infrastructure. The report was prepared by Robert Rose of the Breakthrough Technologies Institute (BTI) for an ad-hoc coalition of fuel cell advocates from throughout North America.
In the report, the fuel cell industry coalition lays out a 10-year, cost-shared program that will bring fuel cells, and their economic, environmental and energy security benefits, to the American marketplace. The federal share of the program over 10 years would be $5.5 billion, a commitment comparable to the current federal investment in conventional fuels and other advanced energy technologies. The report also offers specific recommendations in several program areas, including research and development, demonstrations programs, federal purchases, investment in fuel infrastructure, market entry support, removal of barriers, and education and outreach. Estimates of annual private-sector investment in fuel cell technology range from $1.0 billion to $3.0 billion.
The full report may be viewed at http://www.fuelcellpath.org.
