DOE Issues RFI for Fuel Cell Technology and GSE

The Department of Energy has issued a Request for Information regarding opportunities in the market for fuel cell technology. There are three areas of interest, including GSE at airports. As stated in the release: “This area of interest is focused on airport GSE as applicable to the needs of commercial or government-owned airport facilities. The Battelle Memorial Institute study, “Identification and Characterization of Near-term Direct Hydrogen Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Markets” indicates that airport GSE has the potential to provide significant lifecycle cost savings over lead-acid battery and combustion engine systems under certain types of operation.”  The department is interested in comments on the following:  ·        Key barriers preventing the use of fuel cell powered GSE for airport applications; The near-term commercial feasibility and potential market size of the identified application(s); ·        Lifecycle cost, the overall impact that a specific financial assistance project would have on the cost, and the effect of the available $3,000/kilowatt fuel cell investment tax credit (business-case calculations, such as payback and net return on investment, as well as lifecycle cost comparisons to incumbent technologies are of particular interest); ·        Issues related to fueling and infrastructure; ·        The type of data that is needed to validate technology (e.g. reliability, efficiency, etc.) to enable an accurate assessment of the state of the art; ·        Issues related to codes, regulations, and standards that are not currently being addressed and are needed to facilitate the deployment of the identified fuel cell application(s); and ·        Other barriers or challenges that must be addressed to increase the commercial viability and market penetration of the identified fuel cell application(s).  For more information on the RFI, please visit: http://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect/PublicPages/PublicSearch/Public_Opportunities.aspx