Hydrogen will likely become the primary energy carrier in the future. However, utilization of hydrogen as fuel for fuel cells, turbines, and internal combustion engines will require significant technology and infrastructure development. The challenges in advancing toward a hydrogen economy include both developing and improving individual components and also integrating and testing various modules together as a complete hydrogen system, from production through utilization.

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) has a long history of developing, testing, and integrating modular technologies for the production and utilization of hydrogen and is the National Center for Hydrogen Technology (NCHT). Specifically, the EERC has unique, world-class experience in the production of hydrogen from both fossil and renewable fuels, gas separation and purification through conventional and advanced methods, development of on-demand hydrogen fueling systems, and utilization of the hydrogen via direct combustion and in fuel cells. Current programs at the EERC include:

• High efficiency
• Development of an on-demand hydrogen production system that will operate on a variety of feedstocks.
• Production, separation, and purification of hydrogen from advanced coal gasification processes.
• Production of hydrogen from renewable fuels such as wind and biomass and the integration of hydrogen storage in hybrid systems to overcome the intermittency of wind.
• Development, testing, and integration of new material for high-temperature fuel cells and hydrogen separation membranes.
• Integration of biomass gasification and high-temperature fuel cells to produce low-cost electricity.
• Development of on-board hydrogen production by reforming liquid fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, gasoline, and diesel.
• Development of advanced methods for enhancing hydrogen storage on-board vehicles.

The successful commercialization of hydrogen technologies depends critically on demonstrating capabilities for meeting economic and policy goals relating to sustainability of affordable energy supplies and preservation of the natural environment. Economically affordable reductions in net carbon emissions from all competing energy sources may become an overriding driving force. The research, development, demonstration, and commercialization (RDD&C) initiatives on hydrogen at the EERC are planned and carried out in the context of a continuing analysis of the economic payback that can be achieved for entire energy systems through improvements in hydrogen technologies.

With hundreds of talented scientists, engineers, and support personnel, the EERC is one of the leading developers of energy and environmental technologies in the world. The EERC is dedicated to moving promising technologies out of the laboratory and into the marketplace to produce energy cleanly and efficiently, minimizing environmental impacts and conserving precious natural resources. The EERC operates as a business within the university, relying on its flexibility to quickly bring together teams that provide timely technical answers to meet customer needs.

Unique Programs and Facilities
The EERC has a unique combination of existing programs and facilities that directly support hydrogen production and fuel cell technology development. Programs at the EERC that directly support hydrogen and fuel cell development include the following:

• Centers for Renewable Energy and Biomass Utilization
• Coal Utilization Technologies Center
• National Alternative Fuels Laboratory^® (NAFL^®)
• Plains Organization for Wind Energy Resources^® (POWER^®)
• Center for Air Toxic Metals^® (CATM^®)
• Supercritical and Subcritical Extraction Technologies Center

The EERC has over 245,000 square feet of office, laboratory, and demonstration facilities including the following related to hydrogen and fuel cell development:

• Hydrogen technology test facility
• Fuel Cell Laboratory
• Two technology demonstration facilities housing seven pilot-scale multifuel combustion and gasification systems including oxygen-firing capabilities
• Three advanced analytical characterization laboratories
• Three mobile biomass gasification systems
• High-Temperature Materials Laboratory
• Fuels Development and Analysis Laboratory
• Extensive field testing capabilities
• Carbon Sorbent and Structure Development Laboratory
• Over 20 bench- and laboratory-scale reactors for fuel conversion and testing