A US member of the House of Representatives has called for the country to move ahead more rapidly in its adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology, in a move that could have implications for manufacturers of platinum autocatalysts.

Republican politician Lee Terry told a congressional hearing that he wants to see the United States embrace hydrogen fuel cell technology and drastically reduce its current reliance on fossil fuels to generate power.

Mr Terry, who is the state representative for Nebraska, highlighted the Lied Jungle in the Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, which uses hydrogen fuel cell technology to heat water and produce power for the jungle environments as part of an Omaha public pilot project, alongside the city's First National Bank.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology has been used at the zoo since 2001 and has "exceeded expectations for efficiency and reliability", Mike Jones, a spokesman for the Omaha Public Power Department (OPPD), told H2 Daily.

Representative Terry is currently backing a new proposal to force the federal government to take greater action to promote hydrogen fuel cell technology and its development by extending existing tax credits and creating new ones.

Many of the best fuel cells use platinum autocatalysts to generate power via a chemical process and the US government has been offering a range of tax credits and other benefits for adopting low carbon technology over the past few years.

Sources: Terry pushes hydrogen fuel cell tax credit

25/04/07

http://www.fuelcellsworks.com/Supppage7250.html

Omaha zoo inspires lawmaker

26/04/07

http://www.h2daily.com/news/omaha-zoo-inspires-lawmaker-20070426-296-50.html
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