WASHINGTON, DC – Relegation of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to the back seat, behind a focus on efficiency, battery electrics and hybrids, was evident in various ways at the Energy Department’s Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting here last month.

In terms of size, it was apparently the biggest event ever: the June 7-11 meeting drew more than 1,600 registered attendees who were flooded with information from about 600 presentations of which some 85% were reviewed by more than 300 reviewers. Last year, close to 1,300 people showed up to take in about the same number of presentations (H& FCL June 09 – We plan to run a second report next month on some of the presentations).

The shift in emphasis was already hinted at in the very title: Last year, it was called the “2009 Hydrogen Program and Vehicles Technologies Program” meeting, to be switched around this year to “2010 Vehicles Technologies and Hydrogen Programs” meeting. Once upon a time, it was known simply as DoE’s Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review & Peer Evaluation Meeting, which in 2008 drew 1,000 participants and almost 300 presentations (H&FCL July 08).

Hydrogen in “More Distant Future”

That focus shift came through as well in plenary session’s remarks by Henry Kelly, DoE’s principal deputy assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy (EERE), the umbrella office for hydrogen ... Log in to view full article.