New Hydrogen

February 20, 2008 | Filed Under hydrogen

Washington, DC - The National Hydrogen Association’s Hydrogen Education Foundation has launched a nationwide educational campaign to increase understanding about hydrogen. The initiative includes targeted public relations and the new, informative website: www.H2andYou.org. The website has been designed to act as a destination for those wanting to learn more about hydrogen while highlighting, in laymen’s terms, new ways hydrogen is being used today and how these uses relate to things people really care about. The site will answer common questions; present examples of market-ready hydrogen products that provide real energy solutions today; and offer video, podcasts and links to hydrogen news stories.

“While many people identify hydrogen as a universal alternative fuel, in general, the public doesn’t yet understand how hydrogen can relate to them,” says Jeffrey A. Serfass, President of the National Hydrogen Association and the Hydrogen Education Foundation. “The H2 and You program is designed to help anyone grasp how hydrogen can be made and how its adoption is already having a positive impact on our lives.”

Hydrogen, a universal, highly adaptable fuel, is present in water, plants, minerals and all living things. Thanks to modern technologies, the energy from virtually any natural resource can be converted to hydrogen and then put to work for things we use every day, helping them operate more cleanly and efficiently. Just how clean hydrogen is, over its entire lifecycle, depends mainly on how it is produced. H2 and You will explain the full range of options for producing hydrogen and putting it to work.

H2 and You also highlights hydrogen’s current applications. For example:

Cell phone towers are currently using hydrogen fuel cells, made by NHA members like Ballard Power, to supply back-up power in the event of electrical outages. Fuel cells using hydrogen for back-up power are being used in hospitals, credit card processing facilities and other critcal sectors that need to run 24-hours a day.
Some of the heavy-duty trucks on America’s roads today are partially fueled by hydrogen. The hydrogen systems reduce pollution from the trucks by 15 to 75%.
Companies like Wal-Mart have adopted hydrogen-fueled forklifts indoors to increase productivity and reduce greenhouse gases.
Auto manufacturers like Toyota, General Motors, Daimler, Honda and BMW have been testing pre-commercial hydrogen vehicles — many of which are already in the hands of consumers.
For more examples visit www.h2andyou.org.

“One of the things we would like people to take away from our H2 and You campaign is the significance of hydrogen energy and how its long-term adoption can benefit us all,” said Serfass. “Hydrogen will play a substantial role in the areas of greater energy security, a cleaner environment and stronger economic growth.”

To see new hydrogen products in person, come to the NHA Annual Hydrogen Conference and Hydrogen Expo US in Sacramento, CA March 30-April 3, 2008. You will have opportunities to see working hydrogen fuel cells, drive hydrogen cars and take rides in hydrogen buses. For more information, visit www.HydrogenAssociation.org or Google “hydrogen conference.”