EERC hosts Hydrogen Action Summit Sept. 4 The director of the Energy & Environmental Research Center, Gerald Groenewold, announced that hydrogen is ready for the people. He made comments at a press event during the fourth annual Hydrogen Implementation Conference, in Laramie, Wyo. The EERC is a sponsor of the event. “Hydrogen is not the fuel of the future — it is the fuel of today. Depending on the world’s energy situation, certain fuel cell vehicles could be commercially available in four to five years,” said Groenewold. “We have the technologies to move forward with hydrogen as a viable fuel, but we lack the commercial infrastructure to make it available to everyone.” The EERC is the National Center for Hydrogen Technology (NCHT), a designation from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2004 in recognition of over 50 years of hydrogen research involving fossil and renewable energy. The NCHT is currently leading more than $60 million in current and pending hydrogen-related research, development, demonstration, and commercialization activities, with more than 70 private sector partners nationwide. “The EERC is involved with a wide array of projects to make hydrogen available using the current refueling infrastructure, including the development of a unique on-demand hydrogen production technology,” Groenewold said. “Additional projects include hydrogen production from biomass and fossil fuels; battlefield hydrogen from JP-8; hydrogen production from wind energy; hydrogen purification, separation, and storage; and end uses, such as small-scale power systems and fuel cell vehicles.” On Sept. 4, the EERC will host a Hydrogen Action Summit focused on all of these technologies at its facilities in Grand Forks. The event is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan’s Red River Valley Research Corridor and will feature strategic presentations on hydrogen production, infrastructure, and utilization. The focus of the action summit is how to implement hydrogen today. “Sen. Dorgan has been one of the EERC’s strongest supporters, securing seed funding for our hydrogen program, and we are honored to host his summit focused on further advancement of the hydrogen economy,” Groenewold said. The next day, Sept. 5, the EERC will dedicate its new $3.5 million NCHT facility. Construction began about two years ago on the facility. The building, which is already occupied, was designed to significantly enhance the strategic research, development, testing, and commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for the EERC and its commercial partners. The facility houses a variety of specialized state-of-the-art equipment dedicated to providing strategic solutions for the world’s energy needs, while at the same time creating opportunities for regional economic growth. More information about the Hydrogen Action Summit and the NCHT building dedication is available at www.undeec.org.