By Robert Mauro, General Manager, PATH
In 1998, DOE and Natural Resources Canada funded the development a Sourcebook for Hydrogen Applications which contained the North American experience in hydrogen. Since its creation the Sourcebook has been a widely respected reference book for hydrogen practitioners around the world. Although successful, the information in the reference has been limited to North American experience. In early 2003, PATH proposed to the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) an expansion of the Sourcebook to include the hydrogen experience of other APEC members, particularly Japan. In August 2003, PATH was informed that it would receive an APEC grant that would begin next year. The purpose of the eighteen month grant would be to update the Sourcebook and expand the content to include the hydrogen experience of all APEC members.
In preparation for the contract PATH is collecting codes and standards information from its members to update the current PATH technical report on codes and standards. In order to conduct the project, which will be managed by APEC, PATH is planning to work with TISEC to perform the modifications to the existing Sourcebook.
As a part of the grant, PATH expects to hold two workshops on the hydrogen experience in APEC member countries in the late fall of 2004. The workshops will discuss ongoing hydrogen demonstrations and current standards among APEC member countries. One workshop will be held in Latin America and focus on the hydrogen experience there and the other will held in Asia and focus on the Asia hydrogen experience. The content of the workshop has yet to be determined and will be driven by the requirements of the Sourcebook. At either the 2004 or 2005 APEC conference, a paper on the expanded Sourcebook will be prepared and presented.
The Sourcebook is expected to be completed by October 2005. It is planned that the expanded Sourcebook, once completed will be translated in Japanese and then Chinese and Spanish within a year of completion. Once the planned translations of the Sourcebook are completed, the effort will focus on capturing the European Hydrogen experience.
