Fuel Cells

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute hosted two Congressional briefings to discuss the potential of fuel cell technologies in today's market as well as future energy markets. The U.S. Department of Energy, with the support of Sen. Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Bingaman (D-NM), and Rep. Regula (R-OH), co-sponsored the first briefing to look at the opportunities and challenges facing the fuel cell industry. Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment USA (GLOBE USA), along with GLOBE USA Members Reps. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Mark Udall (D-CO) and Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT), co-sponsored the second briefing to discuss hydrogen and fuel cell technology as a part of the solution to the energy crisis.

The United States is faced with many energy challenges, ranging from regional power supply crises and sharply escalating energy prices to oil extraction. According to the Wall Street Journal, Americans are more concerned about energy now than they have been for decades. The time is ripe for renewable and sustainable energy technologies to play a much larger role in our energy future, and one of the key elements of this new energy economy is hydrogen and fuel cells. Fuel cells are electrochemical engines that convert the energy of a fuel directly into electricity. This simple process involves no combustion, and thus no pollution. The by-products are water and heat.