1)   Q: What are your impressions of the direction that hydrogen and fuel cell technology is headed on a global scale?  

A: I'm encouraged by the commercial traction that hydrogen and fuel cell  technology has in Europe, especially Germany. But I also like the fact that countries like Japan, Korea, South Africa and Denmark (to name a few) have national strategies to introduce these technologies. Market reports indicate significant year over year sales increases of fuel cell products globally. The September 2009 signing of a MOU by 9 major automakers to launch fuel cell electric vehicles in 2015 is encouraging. And, the niche markets of auxiliary power, backup power for telecommunications and fuel cell electric lift trucks are beginning to take off. In some jurisdictions the use of fuel cells for combined heat and power are showing market penetration. The upside potential is enormous and the next few years should be break out years for the hydrogen and fuel cell sector.

2)    Q: What do you see as today's greatest challenges for implementation of a global hydrogen economy? 

A:  I believe there are a couple of issues. Dealing with the incumbent technologies related to fossil fuels will continue to be a barrier to market development of hydrogen and fuel cells. Once the playing field is levelled with respect to incentives and putting a value on carbon then our technology can compete. Our sector needs to find a way to engage the fossil fuel sector to build a relationship (for example in Canada over 2 million tonnes of hydrogen is produced by the fossil fuel sector each year to upgrade crude oil.) We also need to produce hydrogen sustainably and at a price the consumer can afford. Automakers have stated that their vehicles will be priced competitively but that they need the price of hydrogen to be equal to that of gasoline in order to make sales. Infrastructure will be developed on pace with vehicle rollout as long as the plans of automakers are articulated.

3)    Q: What are the biggest opportunities either currently or in the near future for stakeholders in hydrogen and fuel cell technology in the industrial and academic sectors? 

A: I believe the area that can drive hydrogen and fuel cells forward even further and faster is the use of hydrogen as a storage material for smart energy grids. I use the term energy grids because the hydrogen produced from the intermittency of renewables like wind and solar can be used either for transportation or to produce grid power during peak demand. Hydrogen has a great synergy with renewable power.