DOE awards $7 million for R&D related to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies

The Energy Department today recently $7 million for six projects to develop lightweight, compact, and inexpensive advanced hydrogen storage systems that will enable longer driving ranges and help make fuel cell systems competitive for different platforms and sizes of vehicles.  These advances in hydrogen storage will be critical to the widespread commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

• Materia of Pasadena, California will receive $2 million to reduce the cost of compressed hydrogen storage systems.  The project will demonstrate a novel resin system that reduces the use of expensive carbon fiber composites for high pressure storage tanks.
• PPG Industries of Greensboro, North Carolina will receive $1.2 million to demonstrate a novel high strength glass fiber that is stronger than the carbon fibers used today at half of the cost.
• Sandia National Laboratories of Livermore, California will receive $1.2 million to systematically screen low cost alternative materials for use in hydrogen storage systems.
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory of Livermore, California, will receive $1.2 million to develop a reversible, high-capacity storage material that can bond to and release hydrogen in a vehicle, reducing the amount of hydrogen that needs to be pumped in the tank.
• Ardica of San Francisco, California will receive $1.2 million to transition and scale-up a low-cost production process for the production of aluminum hydride, a potential high-capacity hydrogen storage material.
• HRL Laboratories of Malibu, California will receive $1 million to develop high capacity reversible hydrogen storage materials that have properties needed for practical hydrogen storage applications.

Press release