Since the 1970s, fuel cells have been regarded in the energy world as the next big thing. But the technology wasn鈥檛 ready. Now, with 40 years of research and development, some say it鈥檚 time has come.
The 2017 Ohio Fuel Cell Symposium in Lorain this past week drew from across the country. Organizer Pat Valente, executive director of the , says Ohio is one of four exchange centers in the U.S. And Ohio is known for something that is a hot topic in the industry. "We work together and exchange information to lower the cost an increase the reliability of fuel cells. 'Supply chain鈥� is a key component of that. So this was definitely a supply chain oriented conference.鈥�
Andrew Thomas of 鈥檚 Energy Policy Center at Cleveland State University says supply- chain strength may bring fuel-cell- related economic development to Ohio.
鈥淲e could be not only a leader in making parts for fuel cell cars and busses, but also in the chemical industry sides.鈥�
He says the abundance of gas from Ohio鈥檚 Utica shale factors into that supply-chain equation as well.
Director Sunita Satyapal, the head of the Energy Department鈥檚 also attended the Lorain symposium.
鈥淭his is a really exciting time for hydrogen fuel cells. We have for the first time, commercial fuel cell cars on the road. We鈥檙e seeing an uptick in the bus application. We have forklifts, backup power units, and stationary power units. And so I think there鈥檚 huge potential and Ohio has significant share of the supply chain base.鈥�
And, Satyapal says, northeast Ohio is in the forefront of rolling out fuel cell technology, noting that SARTA, the bus service for the Canton area, now has the third largest fleet of fuel-cell vehicles in the country.
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