CHICAGO, March 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Illinois 2 H2 Partnership,
established by the Illinois Coalition and stakeholders in the hydrogen and fuel
cell arena to create an industry cluster centered on the development of hydrogen
as an energy carrier, released today "The Hydrogen Highway: Illinois' Path
to a Sustainable Economy and Environment." The report serves to organize a
statewide effort in creating a sustainable economic and environmental impact for
Illinois through hydrogen and fuel cell technology advancement. It contains the
input of over 400 Illinois citizens representing all industry sectors from all
regions of the state. Specifically, the plan looks to establish Illinois as an international leader
in the fuel cell industry by developing a "Hydrogen Highway;" a
corridor of hydrogen energy demonstration projects situated around
Interstate-90. By doing so rapidly, Illinois would be the first state in the
nation to be completely traversed by a next generation highway of the future;
the Hydrogen Highway. The activity that would surround this type of far-sighted
project would stimulate the Illinois economy and protect the environment for
years to come. Chicago, as the geographic center of this project could be home
to as many as three hydrogen-fueling stations, making it the first metro area in
the Midwest to create this infrastructure. "Attracting new federal research funds will allow us to build on the
investments we've already made to establish Illinois as a national leader in
hydrogen fuel technology," Governor Blagojevich said. "The Hydrogen Highway: Illinois' Path to a Sustainable Economy and
Environment" looks at the hydrogen-powered fuel cell as a technological
driver to transform the economy from a growth economy to a sustainable growth
economy. Viewed by experts as the necessary successor to the internal combustion
engine, there is no doubt that the fuel cell will drive future economic growth. "This project is in line with Chicago's pledge to be the Greenest City
in America," said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. "Beyond the great
benefit to the environment, construction of these hydrogen fueling stations and
demonstration projects will create jobs for years to come and drive the growth
of local cutting-edge fuel cell businesses." Fuel cells have the potential to turn hydrogen from natural gas, coal, and
renewable forms of energy like wind and solar sources into electricity for use
in industrial and residential applications, and for use as automobile
transportation fuel. Recent developments in the production, transmission,
storage, and utilization of hydrogen fuel have made this technology one of the
most sought after by several technology-driven states, including California,
Connecticut, Michigan and Ohio, but Illinois has several advantages that make
national prominence in this field a realistic goal. "Illinois has historically been a leader in developing hydrogen
technology, utilizing our world-class universities, federal labs, non-profit
research institutes and emerging startups. The state is in prime position to
share in the economic rewards offered by this revolutionary technology,"
said Chris Tynan of Illinois 2 H2. "Our hope is that we have provided a
deliberate and coherent call to action with practical steps that can be taken by
government leaders at the Federal, State, and Local levels to advance hydrogen
and fuel cell-based technology from the laboratory into an engine for Illinois'
economic growth for the 21st Century." "At Argonne, we have been working on fuel cells for more than 30
years," said James Miller, Argonne National Laboratory's Manager,
Electrochemical Technology Program. "As a researcher, it is particularly
gratifying to see this Illinois initiative moving research results from the
laboratory to the real-world demonstrations." "Hydrogen represents a major economic opportunity for the State and its
business community," said Robert Gray, CEO of HyRadix, Inc., a Des
Plaines-based maker of hydrogen fueling stations. "This initiative is a
first step toward building a prosperous industry here in Illinois." "The Hydrogen Highway: Illinois' Path to a Sustainable Economy and
Environment" full report can be downloaded at: http://
www.ilcoalition.org. ------ Illinois 2H2 is a public-private partnership established by the Illinois
Coalition in response to a call for an organization to act as leader,
collaborator, spokesperson and advocate for an Illinois industry around future
developments in the field of advanced energy. The initiative's vision is to
establish Illinois as an international leader in the research and
commercialization of hydrogen-based technologies for use as an energy carrier,
with a primary goal to create and implement a strategic action plan centered on
hydrogen and fuel cell opportunities presented to governing bodies. Illinois 2H2
consists of representatives from research, industry, and public service
organizations and is governed by a Steering Committee of representatives from
major hydrogen research institutions in the state, as well as the Illinois
Coalition and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.