PATH has been operational for 10 months and has accomplished several things.  It has produced a report on codes and standards, held a workshop in Mexico, developed the organizational rules under which it is governed, and I hope for a Committee to articulate a common vision about PATH.  In the next year and beyond it would like to begin to initiate a series of activities that which are distinct and will give it a unique identity.  This will create a rhythm for the future.

The web site for PATH is an ancient city and this is symbolic of the community of hydrogen interest that we would like to see built over the next fuel years.  We are building this community one activity at a time.  In its first year, developed and refined the way it will govern itself with its by-laws.  Its members determined how and how much it would tax itself with dues.  It added to useful catalogue of information on the hydrogen codes and standards of its members.  It conducted its first joint workshop in Mexico with the Mexican Hydrogen Society.  One goal of this activity is to increase the association members.  Just as in a real community this increases population and revenues, it also puts and additional demand on services.  Finally the members came together to begin to structure a collective vision of the future and identify the items that we have in common.

Each of these community elements can be built upon and added to.  In the next year the organization will be continued to be administered for the benefit of the members.  In addition we plan to conduct an additional workshop hopefully in China.  These workshops will change and expand our future energy vision.  They also serve as the spawning ground for country plans and projects consistent with those plans.  PATH would like to play an appropriate role in each of those activities.  PATH will continue to develop knowledge by expanding the codes and standards report, report on the state of CO2 regulations and attitudes toward then by Member countries, and report on the elements of a collective vision.  PATH will also use workshops and other contacts to participate appropriately in demonstration projects consistent with a country’s energy plan which both demonstrates equipment compatibility among manufacturers from different countries and conform to international standards for the equipment used in the hydrogen system.  If country plans are the blueprints, these demonstrations are the bricks and mortar that validate the plans.  Consistent with PATH goal to disseminate information and provide members with authoritative information on which to make decisions, PATH will work to fund an updated an expanded version of the Sourcebook for Hydrogen Applications and make results available to members.  The update will provide a compilation of Canadian, Japanese, and the United State’s hydrogen experience.  This is an on going activity requiring periodic updating and translation to other languages.

Education is the final area where PATH will pursue initiatives. The goal here is to establish hydrogen centers which allow us to propagate the hydrogen experience to other countries and then have researchers from those countries take the research with them and continue the research relationship with the center.  Another goal of this activity is to develop a joint high school curriculum among PATH members on hydrogen and renewables.  These are long term efforts that can be initiated this year.  It is clear that we must educate those who will use hydrogen about it.  PATH can organize its members to take collective action in developing the tools needed to teach the public about hydrogen.

PATH has an array of activities that it is beginning this coming year.  In some form most are on going or continuing.  This sets PATH on a course for the future and gives the organization a rhythm and purpose to its operations.  How successful we are as PATH is up to us.