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U.S. Fuel Cell Council, National Hydrogen Association Merge

November 03, 2010 by Jeff Shepard

The U.S. Fuel Cell Council (USFCC) and the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) announced that they are joining forces to accelerate the commercialization of fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies. The newly formed Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) will bring a strong, unified voice to the drive for clean energy. The merger of the industry’s leading advocacy organizations will deliver an integrated strategy to the industry and a singular message to stakeholders: fuel cells and hydrogen are integral components of our clean energy portfolio.

The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association’s membership represents the entire supply chain for the delivery of these clean energy solutions. The organization will be led by President and Executive Director, Ruth Cox, and headquartered in Washington, D.C.

"Bringing the two organizations together to form the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association will give us the critical mass necessary to help shape the clean energy agenda," said Cox. "Study after study has shown that fuel cells and hydrogen are essential to meeting our environmental, economic, energy and national security goals."

Current users of fuel cells include some of the country’s most prominent brands, like Coca-Cola, Google, FedEx, Walmart, eBay, Sheraton, Hilton, Staples, Verizon and Sprint.

"Fuel cells are the cleanest, most-efficient and unobtrusive way to harness the power of hydrogen," said Mike Hicks, FCHEA co-chairman and fuel cell engineer at Idatech, LLC. "The FCHEA will focus on supporting growth in early markets and commercializing fuel cells and hydrogen energy wherever they can add value to the 21st century’s clean energy architecture."

"The merger of the USFCC and NHA was market and member driven," said Mike McGowan, FCHEA co-chairman and head of strategic alliances for Linde, LLC’s Alternative Energy Team. "The issues affecting the fuel cell and hydrogen industries are inevitably linked. Without mass deployments of fuel cells, the market for hydrogen as a fuel is limited – and without a hydrogen refueling infrastructure, the ability to operate many types of fuel cells is limited."