The development and commercialization of hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative to fossil fuel combustion will be the focus of the Second Annual International Lake Tahoe Fuel Cell Conference October 26-28. Fuel cells produce electricity from hydrogen in a combustion-free process that produces water vapor as a by-product.
The conference, at Granlibakken Conference Center near Tahoe City, Calif., will include researchers, industrialists and government representatives from around the world and is presented jointly by the Desert Research Institute (DRI) and the Nevada State Energy Office. Major conference sponsored include the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Ballard Generation Systems and Ford Motor Company.
Conference Chairman David P. Haberman, vice president of DCH, Inc., a southern California-based technology firm, said fuel cell technology is having a significant impact on many industries, including utilities, transportation and energy storage. "Hydrogen fuel cells could have as big an impact on these sectors as the computer chip had in the field of information technology," Haberman said.
The conference's keynote speaker will be Dr. Alan Lloyd, chairman of CARB and formerly executive director of DRI's Energy and Environmental Engineering Center. Lloyd will address "Environmental Impacts of Fuel Cell Implementation." He has been a major international proponent of the adoption of fuel cell technology as a strategy to reduce emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels. Dr. James Brandmueller, manager of energy programs for the Nevada State Energy Office and conference vice chairman, said conference sessions will examine areas in which industrial and governmental partnerships can focus on highly visible fuel cell projects that will demonstrate the marketability of the technology.
"The outstanding environmental advantages alone won't insure the success of fuel cell technology," Brandmueller said. "By strategically supporting appropriate fuel cell applications, we can demonstrate the technical and economic viability of these systems in competition with conventional power generation-such as power for remote communities and small vehicle applications."
Brandmueller is working with DRI scientists in applying fuel cells to power motor scooters, small water craft and light utility trucks. He said the approach is attempting to use a closed system employing only alternative energy resources and fuel cells to demonstrate the practicality of operating free of fossil fuel combustion.
Conference sessions will include discussions on U.S., Japanese, and European fuel cell initiatives, technology improvements, and the availability of financing, capitalization and other economic incentives from financial markets and government agencies. Policy initiatives and accomplishments to encourage fuel cell applications will also be examined.