The National Hydrogen Association (NHA) saw significant increases in interest in all aspects of hydrogen energy systems, nationally and internationally during its fourteenth year as the internationally recognized premiere trade association promoting the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier. The organization sees a continued increase in interest for 2004 and will respond accordingly.
While many of the 2004 activities planned by the NHA are a continuation of previous year’s efforts, the 2004 program represents a significant increase in activities as indicated by the approved budget of over $1.8 million. This is an increase of 85% over the 2003 budget.
One of the major initiatives of the NHA is to coordinate its members’ efforts regarding hydrogen related codes and standards. The NHA participates in several international and domestic committees to provide a unified industry input to code generating bodies. Additionally, the NHA conducts periodic workshops and short courses in conjunction with other organizations such as the ASME, IEEE, IEA, SAE, NFPA, ISO and ICC.
Another major role of the NHA is to facilitate and communicate current information about the role and timing of the hydrogen economy. It conducts surveys to establish metrics for measuring the progress of the industry and through its publication of the “H2 Digest,” the “NHA News,” the “Hydrogen Safety Report” and the
NHA WEB site, information about hydrogen production and applications is made available to industry and the general public. The NHA engages in public debates and responds to media reports.
This year, the NHA will sponsor its 15th Annual U.S. Hydrogen Conference and Expo in Los Angeles, California on April 27-30, 2004. It is anticipated that this premier U.S. Hydrogen event will host about 800 attendees.
The NHA regards education as an important area of activity. The NHA prepares and provides educational materials and works with various educational institutions in an effort to promote the benefits of hydrogen in our energy scenario. It will continue to act as a clearinghouse for educational materials as well as to participate in the education of our youth. This year, it is holding a
design contest between University students.
As the central U.S. industrial organization for hydrogen, the NHA is active in promoting public policy initiatives. It will create and participate on a “Government Affairs Coordinating Council” and provide assistance to various governmental bodies such as the DOE, various Congressional groups as well as State governmental organizations. By preparing position papers and providing testimony, the NHA hopes to promote the best interests of the hydrogen community and appropriately influence legislation. As a source of information to its members, it publishes a “Legislative Update” newsletter.
The NHA will continue to balance these activities to create a friendly market environment for the hydrogen economy.
