8 October was the ninth annual National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day in the United StatesThe United States Congress has marked National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day for the ninth consecutive year.
The Day was created to raise awareness of clean energy technology, with 8 October chosen in reference to the atomic weight of hydrogen, 1.008.
The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA), industry organisations and state and federal governments commemorated National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day with activities and events across the US.
“Hydrogen and fuel cell technology are key to tackling the climate crisis,” Congressman Jim Costa told Congress as he introduced a bipartisan bicameral resolution designating October 8 as National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day.
“This technology can create good-paying jobs while decarbonising the transportation and manufacturing industries, setting us on the path to cut emissions in half by 2035.”
To mark the day, the US Department of Energy and First Global co-sponsored the Hydrogen Horizons Challenge in Singapore, a competition that attracted student teams from 191 countries.
The teams were challenged to design and build a skilled robot from a standard kit of parts.
The four-day event was won by the Venezuelan team, with Australia taking out silver and Cambodia bronze.
In the US, companies such as Nuvera Fuel Cells, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Orsted, Advent Technologies, BMW and Toyota participated in events to mark the day.
BayoTech's involvement came in the form of official hydrogen sponsor at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, while Plug Power hosted a hydrogen symposium in New York state.
The US government has set a target of producing 10 MMT per year of clean hydrogen by 2030.