NHA Community to Receive Funding to Assist in the Creation of a New York State Hydrogen Roadmap
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by Brian Schorr, National Hydrogen Association

On June 9, 2004, New York Governor George Pataki announced that six projects were awarded funding to develop a Hydrogen Roadmap for New York State.  The awards total $750,000 and will guide research and development of hydrogen technologies in New York State, provide funding for education and outreach activities to the public, and enhance the Governor’s efforts to make New York State a leading force for renewable energy technologies.

The Governor announced that the NHA, Energetics, and University of Albany team won an award to develop the New York State Hydrogen Roadmap.  When completed, the Roadmap will “identify the steps for systematically putting a hydrogen infrastructure in place.  The roadmap will guide the transition to a hydrogen future, and consider options and set targets and decision points for development, investment and commercialization” of hydrogen technologies.

These projects will be funded through a joint effort among the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and the New York Power Authority (NYPA).  NYSERDA issued a Request for Proposals in November 2003 seeking support for the state hydrogen roadmap.  The three key areas identified as crucial to the advancement of hydrogen by industry and academia include education and outreach, codes and standards review, and targeted research and development in the areas of hydrogen production, storage, distribution and utilization.  The specific projects center on these key focus areas.

Additionally, the NHA would also like to recognize and congratulate Praxair, Inc. and M.R.S. Enterprises, LLC for also receiving awards for their projects as part of this effort.

Praxair submitted a proposal for its “Hydrogen Purification” system, which was selected for funding.  Praxair will develop a low-cost, compact hydrogen Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) system.  The PSA produces a pure hydrogen product that meets the stringent standards of performance in the transportation and industrial sectors, which are necessary for hydrogen fueling.

Mary Rose de Valladares, President of M.R.S. Enterprises (and Director of NHA member Eco Soul) will receive an award for her “HOPE – The Hydrogen Economy” proposal.  Ms. de Valladares will provide teacher training workshops in hydrogen, fuel cell, and renewable energy science and technology with the mission to incorporate hydrogen into the school curriculum.  These workshops provide information to 500 teachers, who have the opportunity to reach 38,000 students in grades 6-12 statewide.

Other projects awarded funding include:

• Pace Energy Project and Hydrogen Safety, Inc., “PON 829 Education and Outreach” – to “review all existing New York State and New York City codes and standards, as well as existing national and international activities, in order to ascertain what changes are necessary to facilitate growth in key components of the Hydrogen economy within the state.”
• National Energy Education Development, “Hydrogen Education and Outreach” -  “conduct educational efforts for K-12 students and teachers that will lay the groundwork for a general population that understands the technologies, benefits and challenges associated with hydrogen energy. The project will provide workshops for public officials in New York.”
• Research Foundation of SUNY, “Design Optimization of All-Optical Hydrogen Sensors” – “will design and optimize an all-optical hydrogen sensor for use as a safety and control technology in fuel cell technologies” to reliably monitor for hydrogen leaks.

Congratulations to everyone working to bring the Hydrogen Roadmap into reality in New York State! ©2003. All Rights Reserved. A Publication of the National Hydrogen Association.
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