US Fuel Cell Council

The organisation describes itself as:

"dedicated to fostering the commercialisation of fuel cells in the USA. The council aims to provide technical advice, collect information and issue reports on the industry, raise public awareness of fuel cells and their potential, conduct fuel cell education programs, provide networking opportunities for developers, suppliers and potential customers and establish links to comparable activities in the U.S. and worldwide. An extensive range of technical, educational and outreach activities are initiated by the council in support of the fuel cell industry."

In a subcommittee hearing to The House Ways and Means Committee, Robert R. Rose, Executive Director, stated,

"The US Fuel Cell Council is a trade association of more than 105 members spanning all segments of our industry. We support commercialization of fuel cells of all types and for all applications.

Fuel cells are a family of technologies that generate power electrochemically. Since there is no combustion, fuel cells are highly efficient with ultra low emissions. Fuel cells can utilize a wide variety of fuels, with unexcelled environmental performance. Overall, fuel cells deliver an exceptional combination of benefits to society.

Fuel cells can power an extraordinary range of applications, from battery replacements in consumer electronics, to backup and remote power generation, auxiliary power units, combined heat and power systems and high efficiency base load electrical generation. They are also being developed for mobile power systems, specialty vehicles like forklifts and airport equipment, and for any vehicle that carries people, including transit buses and the family car.

[...] This committee has shown commendable leadership in approving a variety of tax incentives to encourage the deployment and early adoption of fuel cells and related infrastructure. The value of that leadership to our industry cannot be overstated, and we thank you.

Building on that beginning, a long-term extension of the Sec. 48 fuel cell investment tax credit (ITC) is our highest priority before this Committee. HR 550, introduced by Congressmen McNulty and Camp with strong, bipartisan support, captures the spirit of this need. A long-term extension will provide support now for early adopters in the private sector, and also accommodate the reality of our industry - that fuel cells are a family of technologies, with divergent commercialization pathways and time tables and an expanding product mix."

People

• Robert R. Rose - Founder and Executive Director
• Ruth Cox - Executive Director

Affiliations

Robert R. Rose is also Senior Consultant at Turquoise Engineering Consulting.