By Robert L. Mauro, Executive Vice President,
National Hydrogen Association
HTAP conducted its fall meeting
in Sacramento [California, U.S.A.] on 20 October 1999. I made
a presentation during the public comments, reiterating the need
for reauthorization of the Hydrogen Future Act. I discussed the
progress that the Europeans are making in forming a European Hydrogen
Association and the advantages of such an association. These include
increased membership, expertise, shared information, greater access
to funding, and the ability to meet and develop a common policy
position with respect to hydrogen. There might be a need for hydrogen
groups in other parts of the world to operate in a similar way.
Finally, I raised the concern that fuel cells must be introduced
to the marketplace at costs that are low enough to justify their
purchase on a value basis.
A highlight of the meeting was Dr.
Helena Chum of NREL’s presentation on the activities of the
HTAP Coordination Committee Report. She identified four activities
of the Committee:
Prepare a summary of the HTAP Report to Congress as a brochure;
Discuss the HTAP Report and HTAP’s activities with members
of Congress;
Search for opportunities for HTAP involvement in high-level
energy planning and policy activities; and
Prepare HTAP white papers and peer-reviewed papers on U.S. hydrogen
activities compared to worldwide programs for presentation at
international meetings.
The brochures have been disseminated
in a number of venues, including U.S. Congressional staff. The
HTAP Coordination Committee has indicated that reports on DOE,
Strategic Planning, R&D Integration, Portfolio Analysis, and
Roadmapping are available at
http://pnl113.pnl.gov/erdoclib.nsf
[that’s PNL113]. Dr. Chum went on to discuss the Under Secretary’s
Planning and Management Initiatives. The strategic goals of this
effort are to:
Improve the efficiency of energy systems,
Ensure against energy disruptions,
Promote energy production and use in ways that respect health
and the environment,
Expand future energy choices, and
Cooperate internationally on global issues.
These strategic goals were redefined by the panel to:
Economic Productivity,
Oil Vulnerability,
Systems Reliability,
Pollutants (Air, Water, Land),
Greenhouse Gases, and
Global Sustainability.
The overriding question being asked by the panel was: Is the portfolio
(of projects) likely to produce results that make significant
progress toward achieving the strategic goals? In the redefinition
of structure used in the portfolio analysis, hydrogen is grouped
as a “clean fuel,” along with coal-derived fuels, natural
gas to liquids, and fuels for biomass. Under this system, fuel
cells are grouped under “advanced power systems” as
“distributed fossil systems,” along with combined heat
and power, advanced turbines, and reciprocating engines. Renewable
systems are also grouped as “advanced power systems.”
Vehicles and their propulsion systems are grouped under “clean
and efficient vehicles.”
In terms of the adequacy of DOE programs to meet these goals,
the panel concluded that adequate efforts were being made in economic
productivity, oil vulnerability, and pollution. The panel raised
concerns that efforts were inadequate with respect to energy system
reliability and global sustainability. Greenhouse gas emissions
reductions were given a mixed review. Activities for mitigation
were considered adequate in the near term and inadequate in the
long term.
The implications of this for hydrogen are that the panel foresees
increased natural gas use for continued economic productivity.
It sees the need to increase funding for hydrogen systems infrastructure
and biomass gasification to decrease
oil vulnerability and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
It is interesting that hydrogen is not singled out with respect
to reducing pollutants or with regard to global sustainability.
On-board hydrogen storage systems for vehicles were identified
as a priority area for additional emphasis.
The ongoing process, managed out of DOE’s Policy Office,
will be repeated in the Spring of 2000 for the FY2002 budget.
A final R&D portfolio analysis will be completed by May of
2000. HTAP plans to continue to provide input into the process.