Ohio is no stranger to hydrogen. The hydrogen-powered Buckeye Bullet 2 racecar was built by students and faculty at Ohio State University. In 2007, Wal-Mart had successfully tested hydrogen fuel cell pallet trucks in on of their Ohio stores.
And NASA has decided to build a hydrogen fueling station based upon renewable energy at the Great Lakes Science Center in downtown Cleveland. But, who else is building a hydrogen fueling station in the state of Ohio are a couple of entrepreneurs.
Chris McWhinney and Dave Erbaugh are racing with NASA to be the first to open a hydrogen fueling station in the state of Ohio. The hydrogen fueling station will be located on Dull’s Family Farm in the north part of Brookville.
The two entrepreneurs are also building a home hydrogen fueling station that will refuel two hydrogen cars plus supply power to one’s home. Though the state has public entities such as the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition pushing the hydrogen agenda, like most U. S. states Ohio lacks H2 infrastructure.
But, with the help of government, business and small entrepreneurs, like Chris McWhinney and Dave Erbaugh, the hydrogen infrastructure may be built out more quickly than most people think. And their will be money to be made by being on the leading edge of this technology.
Your statement “Though the state has public entities such as the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition pushing the hydrogen agenda, like most U. S. states Ohio lacks H2 infrastructure.” is not factually accurate.
– the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition is not a public entity; it is a non-profit 501(c)(6) trade association managed by a board of directors and represents private for-profit interests as well as the state of Ohio, various economic development groups and the academic community. It does accept state funding for support but it is not a public entity.
– The OFCC is not pushing the hydrogen agenda. The Coalition was established to ensure Ohio’s presence both regionally and nationally in current fuel cell discussions and will work to:
* Build upon existing industry and academic strengths of research and development, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials technologies, components, and services to advance the integration of a coordinated, robust fuel cell infrastructure and supply chain.
* Promote public awareness about the positive role fuel cell technology can play as an efficient, reliable and environmentally responsible source of energy in a wide variety of applications.
* Expand networking and information sharing opportunities that lead to greater alliances and understanding of the economic opportunities available to Ohio organizations.
* Encourage federal funding that will leverage state resources in the development of fuel cell technology and the locating of commercial development, manufacturing assets, and job creation in Ohio.
The “hydrogen agenda” is relevant only to the transport sector, and that is only one market opportunity for fuel cell technology. Supporting the development of a hydrogen infrastructure in Ohio is way down the list of priorities for the OFCC.
regards,
Ken Alfred
OFCC executive director, 2003-2008.
Thanks I finally came to a website where the webmaster knows what they’re talking about. Do you know how many results are in Google when I search.. too many! It’s so irritating having to go through page after page after page, wasting my day away with thousands of owners just copying eachother’s articles… bah. Anyway, thanks for the information anyway, much obliged.
Why are you supporting storing energy in hydrogen vs. directly into batteries?
“And their will be a lot of money to be made….”
There*
Hydrogen fuel cell cars can drive 300+ miles before refueling and refueling only takes 5 minutes which is why battery electric cars are not quite there yet (and may never competitive).