In 2010, several countries invested in fuel cells and hydrogen. The United Kingdom and the United States topped the list, with the U.K. investing $15.3 million and the U.S. investing $13.7 million, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (PDF).
A report from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (PDF) earlier this year found that government support for fuel cells has led to cost reductions in the United States and other countries. The report found:
- The United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and other countries have publicly funded R&D and market transformation programs to develop domestic fuel cell industries. In the United States, that industry is supported by the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and California’s Self‐Generation‐Incentive‐Program as well as ARRA.
- Manufacturers have achieved cost reductions over the past two-to-five years on the order of 50 percent. However, costs must be further reduced by 40 percent to 50 percent to compete successfully in the market.
- Manufacturers expect continued cost reductions though economies of scale and supply chain cost reductions. Doubling output would reduce costs by 20 to 30 percent, they estimated. Technological advances would play a smaller role than in the past.
While a June report from Black & Veatch reported that utilities believed fuel cells to have among the least significant impact on the industry among several other green technologies...
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