New standards may be formed to govern hydrogen fuel cells

New group aims to develop standards for hydrogen fuel cells

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has created a new forum through which mobile network operators and fuel cell developers can come together to create standards governing the use of hydrogen fuel cell technology in the telecommunications sector. Hydrogen fuel cells have become quite popular in the telecommunications industry. This is partly due to their ability to provide reliable energy in remote locations of the world. The demand for mobile technology is on the rise, which is pushing telecommunications companies to build network antennas in remote areas that do not have a reliable connection to an energy grid. Fuel cells often show their merit in such situations.

Forum to be comprised of telecommunications companies and fuel cell developers

The forum created by the TIA is called the Exploratory Focus Group on Fuel Cell Standards for Wireless and Other Critical Information and Communication Technologies. The group will be comprised of various companies in the telecommunications and fuel cell sectors. Engineering firms and government representatives will also be a part of the group. Together, all parties will work to formulate standards for the use of hydrogen fuel cells in the telecommunications sector, highlighting communication infrastructure and the overall deployment of these energy systems.

Standards may help boost safe use of fuel cells

Standards already exist concerning the use of hydrogen fuel cells, but the majority of these standards have to do with their safe utilization in transportation. The focus group will work to expand these standards to include other fields, tailoring the standards to take account of the safety issues that exist in those fields. Both stationary and mobile hydrogen fuel cells will be the focus of the new standards and the group will begin drafting documentation concerning new standards within the coming months.

New standards could affect the use of fuel cells in several sectors

The standards devised by the focus group will not be restricted to the telecommunications sector. These standards will also have a bearing on how hydrogen fuel cells are used in the military and residential sectors. The group could also develop standards that focus on how hydrogen fuel cells can be used in the event of major natural disasters. These energy systems have already proven quite resilient to major catastrophes and have shown that they can be a valuable energy source during power outages related to such disasters.