State of the Fuel Cell Industry: A Status Report on an Attempt to Revitalize the Industry through Basic Research

摘要

Analyst and Author on Fuel Cell Policy, Technology, and Industry Fuel cells long have been heralded for their potential as a cost-efficient, environmentally friendly means to convert readily available chemical energy into electric power. Governments worldwide and their partners in industry have long recognized the promise of fuel cells and for the last two decades have worked together to develop fuel cell technology. So far this promise has not been realized. The fuel cell industry remains saddled with products that cannot compete with conventional power sources and solutions to fuel cell performance problems remain elusive. The foremost reason for this state of affairs is that governments and industry have not systematically addressed fuel cell shortfalls through a concerted program of basic research, Moreover, the research community, which has the wherewithal to solve these problems, has largely remained on the sidelines.