14 DAY TRIAL // The Carbon Trust recently agreed to offer financial support to ACAL Energy and ITM Power, the end goal being that of making fuel cells more financially-friendly and thus considerably diminish on UK's ecological footprint.
Apparently, said world-leading organization believes that, although the fuel cell technology can indeed be efficient in getting the UK to switch to a low-carbon economy, what is presently holding it back is the fact that it is still far too expensive to be implemented on a national scale.
Business Green informs us that Michael Rea from the Carbon Trust explained how, “After a lot of hype, fuel cell technology is now a great growth opportunity for the UK.”
He went on to state that, “It is anticipated that the first generation of hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars are likely to roll off production lines around 2015. While they are expected to be lower-carbon than internal combustion engines, they will also be more costly.”
However, further research in the fuel cell technology could make it a viable option for car manufacturers and their customers.
This means that, should things go as planned, the aforementioned energy source could power up to a third of the cars driven in the UK.
According to the same source, Carbon Trust's Polymer Fuel Cells Challenge will split the ₤2 million made available as follows: ITM Power will get ₤1.1 million for improving on their membrane technology, the end goal being that of increasing the fuel cell's power density.
On the other hand, ACAL Energy will receive ₤850.000, which need be used to lower the cost of polymer cells by eliminating the need for platinum in manufacturing them.
Interestingly enough, the British government also agreed to chip in and offer some funds in support of the major investments made by the Carbon Trust in this scientific and technological domain.
Rumor has it that, all things considered, the current cost of fuel cell technology could soon be reduced by as much as 30%.