European Union launches project to invest nearly one billion euros to advance hydrogen and fuel cells

(Note: To learn more about hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and their potential to solve the oil crisis, please read the series of articles titled “Twelve Hydrogen Facts” which is part of the Hydrogen Manhattan Project.)

Giancarlo from Italy, a reader of this blog, notified me this morning of the following article about the European Union launching the Joint Technology Initiative on Fuel Cells and Hydrogen yesterday.

The article notes that:

“The first Stakeholders General Assembly, to be held in Brussels on the 14th and 15th October, will mark the official launch of the Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) on Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH). The main goal of the JTI is to speed up the development of fuel cells and hydrogen technologies in Europe and enable their commercialisation between 2010 and 2020. The JTI’s activities will reduce time to market for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies by between an estimated 2 and 5 years.

The partnership will implement an integrated and efficient programme of basic and applied research and technology development, demonstration and support activities, focused on the most promising applications. This JTI can be also seen as a first working example of future European Industrial Initiatives, as foreseen by the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-plan) which is to play a vital role in accelerating the development and implementation of low carbon technologies.”