Illinois 2H2 (Chicago, IL), established by the Illinois Coalition and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to create an industry cluster centered on the development of hydrogen as an energy carrier, launched a meeting of leaders in the public and private sector. The organization resulted from an April conference of industry leaders at the Gas Technology Institute (Des Plaines, IL).
Illinois 2H2 is facilitating the collaboration of industry, government and academic leaders to achieve the following objectives of continuing to attract major hydrogen-related research programs to Illinois institutions; promoting technology transfer and commercialization from the state's major research institutions; creating a culture conducive to the formation and growth of hydrogen economy businesses; providing access to appropriate sources of funding; developing public policy and infrastructure to create initial demand for hydrogen-based technologies; and establishing Illinois as a national leader in support and standards for promoting distributed generation and hydrogen refueling.
The meeting concluded with a goal to create a strategic action plan by the end of November 2003 centered on hydrogen and fuel cell opportunities, which will be presented to governing bodies on the federal, state and local levels. Illinois 2H2 will also draw from four regional forums to engage the public and build localized grass roots support.
