Bringing you a prosperous future where energy is clean, abundant, reliable, and affordable

The Hydrogen Vision

Hydrogen is America’s clean

energy choice. Hydrogen is flexible,

affordable, safe, domestically

produced, and used in all sectors 

of the economy and in all regions

of the country.

Realizing this vision will require

fundamental changes in the way 

our nation produces and uses energy. 

DOE and its partners are spearheading

essential R&D to reduce the cost of

hydrogen production, transportation,

and storage, and improve performance,

reliability, and durability of fuel cell

systems.

U.S. Department of Energy • Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Vision for a Secure Energy Future

Powering the Nation

Over the next 20 years, U.S. energy

consumption is expected to grow by 

30 percent, while domestic energy

production is expected to grow by only 

25 percent. As consumption outpaces

production, our dependence on 

imported petroleum threatens to

increase, endangering our economy and

standard of living, and compromising 

our national energy security. 

Fortunately, another promising scenario

for our energy future is emerging—one

that relies on hydrogen-powered fuel cell

systems to produce electricity for our

vehicles, homes and even large buildings,

using abundant domestic resources.

Through its Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and

Infrastructure Technologies Program, 

the U.S. Department of Energy furthers

the technologies vital to a hydrogen

energy future. In his recent State of the

Union address, President Bush announced

a groundbreaking plan to transform our

nation’s energy future from one

dependent on foreign petroleum to one

that utilizes the most abundant element

in the universe—hydrogen. The concept

underlying this initiative is simple yet

profound—create automotive operating

systems that run on hydrogen instead of

gasoline. When hydrogen is used to

power fuel cell vehicles, it will do so with

more than twice the efficiency of today’s

gasoline engines—and none of today’s

harmful emissions.

The mission of the Program is to research,

develop, and validate fuel cells and

hydrogen production, delivery, and

storage technologies for transportation

and stationary applications. Through

partnerships with industry, academia,

and national laboratories, and in

coordination with FreedomCAR and

other DOE programs, the Program strives

to overcome technical barriers, address

safety concerns and develop model 

codes and standards, and educate key

stakeholders whose acceptance of these

new technologies will determine their

success in the marketplace. 

With the potential to provide virtually

limitless, safe, reliable, and domesticallyproduced energy that is free from

harmful emissions, hydrogen and fuel

cell technologies may not only satisfy 

our growing energy needs, but also help

protect our health, environment, and

prospects for economic strength.

Areas of Research 

The Program’s research and development

efforts are focused in three areas:

• Hydrogen production. To enable

affordable and efficient hydrogen

production, the Program is researching

ways to reduce the cost of producing

hydrogen from natural gas and
conventional liquid fuels, and

developing new technologies for

hydrogen separation and purification

from high-pressure, high-temperature

synthetic gas. Research also addresses

hydrogen production from renewable

sources, including water electrolysis

and photolytic technologies, as well 

as thermochemical technologies for

generating hydrogen from biomass,

and water-splitting using hightemperature heat sources. 

• Hydrogen transportation and

storage. Once the hydrogen is

produced, it must be transported and

stored for future use. The Program

focuses on defining a cost-effective

hydrogen fuel delivery infrastructure

for transportation and stationary

applications. In close coordination

with DOE’s FreedomCAR program, the

Program also works to develop and

demonstrate safe, compact, low-cost

hydrogen storage systems that will

provide greater than 300-miles vehicle

range. Technologies for bulk storage in

commercial and industrial applications

are also included in research and

development efforts. 

• Fuel cells. Hydrogen can be used 

in fuel cells to power vehicles and

generate heat and electricity for

buildings. But significant research 

and development are needed to reduce

costs and improve performance to

meet consumer needs. Stationary fuel

cell system research is focused on

developing an efficient and durable

distributed generation fuel cell system

that uses natural gas or propane. For

transportation, the Program works

closely with FreedomCAR partners to

develop an efficient and durable fuel

cell system that uses direct hydrogen,

as well as one that uses an on-board

reformer to produce hydrogen from

hydrocarbon or alcohol-based fuels—

and still meet emissions, cost, and

performance expectations. 

Technology Validation, Safety, Codes

and Standards, and Education

Successful commercialization of any 

new technology requires real-world

testing and data collection. The Program

works with business, industry, and

government partners to demonstrate and

validate hydrogen and fuel cell systems 

in real-world operating conditions.

Demonstrating the safe use of hydrogen

is essential to this effort. The Program 

is collaborating with industry on a

comprehensive safety plan, and

facilitating the adoption of model codes

and equipment standards, which will

simplify the transition to hydrogen fuel

use worldwide. Education is also critical

to market acceptance. Through a

coordinated and comprehensive

education campaign that includes

training programs for state and local

officials and potential end-users, as well

as materials for teachers, students, and

the general public, the Program fosters

the understanding of hydrogen and fuel

cell systems needed to achieve the

hydrogen vision.

Vision for a Secure Energy Future

For more information, visit www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/ or call 1-800-DOE-3732

Hydrogen is the simplest and most

abundant element on earth. Although it

never occurs by itself in nature, it can be

produced from a variety of different sources.

Fuel cells use the chemical energy of

hydrogen and oxygen from air to produce

electricity—without combustion or pollution. 

A Strong Energy Portfolio 

for a Strong America

Energy efficiency and clean,

renewable energy will mean a

stronger economy, a cleaner

environment, and greater energy

independence for America. Working

with a wide array of state, community,

industry, and university partners, the

U.S. Department of Energy’s Office 

of Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Energy invests in a diverse portfolio 

of energy technologies.

March 2003

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