How to Celebrate National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day

Oct. 4, 2018

Next week the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will join others across the United States to celebrate the fourth National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day on October 8—10.08—a date chosen to represent the atomic weight of hydrogen (1.008). The U.S. Senate officially designated October 8, 2018, as National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day with the passage of Senate Resolution 664.

DOE, industry organizations, national laboratories, and state and government agencies will be commemorating Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day on 10/08 with a variety of communications activities and outreach events throughout the week and across the country.

In a letter to stakeholders, the DOE Fuel Cell Technologies Office describes the growth and accomplishments in hydrogen and fuel cells and offers some suggested activities to celebrate Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day.

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and it can be produced from all of our nation's energy resources including natural gas, coal, nuclear, and renewables. Today, hydrogen is used in industrial applications including petroleum refining, ammonia production for fertilizers, and steel production, as well as a fuel in fuel cells to generate power for homes or to drive cars, buses, or trucks. More than 5,000 hydrogen fuel cell cars are on the road, nearly 40 hydrogen stations are up and running in select U.S. regions, and more than 240 MW of fuel cell backup power is installed across more than 40 states.

With technological advances and scientific breakthroughs, hydrogen use could be expanded and made more affordable across multiple applications such as energy storage, running large turbines at power plants, supporting grid flexibility and enabling baseload operation of nuclear plants, as well as increased renewable power generation.

Ideas for how to celebrate Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day:

Go on social media to share facts, stats, or photos about hydrogen and fuel cell technology and/or about any hydrogen and fuel cells project you are involved with. Don’t forget to use hashtags #FuelCellsNow and #HydrogenNow.

Share the knowledge by giving a hydrogen and fuel cells presentation in your community, classroom, or workplace. You can use DOE’s Increase Your H2IQ resource to get you started.

Learn about NREL’s hydrogen and fuel cell research or visit the Fuel Cell Technologies Office website to learn more about DOE’s R&D work in hydrogen and fuel cells.