All about Fuel cells
DOE announced last week the award of $41.9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for 13 projects to deploy fuel cells and help build a consumer base for U.S. fuel cell manufacturers. The funding will support the immediate deployment of nearly 1,000 fuel cell systems for emergency backup power and material handling applications (such as forklifts) that have emerged as key early markets in which fuel cells can compete with conventional power technologies. Additional systems will be used to accelerate the demonstration of stationary fuel cells for combined heat and power in the larger residential and commercial markets. Approximately $72.4 million in cost-shared funding will come from industry participants, for a total of nearly $114.3 million.
The increase in manufacturing volume in key early markets will bring costs down and encourage the growth of a domestic supplier base. These efforts will also accelerate the commercialization and deployment of fuel cells and will create jobs in fuel cell manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and support services. A variety of technologies will be developed and deployed, including polymer electrolyte, solid oxide, and direct-methanol fuel cells.
