Organizations team to expand the hydrogen fuel infrastructure of the US

Linde and Sandia National Laboratories form cooperative research agreement

Sandia National Laboratories and Linde, a producer of industrial gases, have signed a cooperative research agreement that may help accelerate the development of clean technologies, specifically hydrogen fuel cells. The agreement will launch two new projects that aim to accelerate the expansion of a hydrogen fuel infrastructure, through the development of new fuel stations. These fueling stations are needed in order for fuel cell vehicles, which will become more common in the next few years, to find success.

Linde expected to play a significant role in the development of new hydrogen fuel stations

Earlier this month, Linde opened the first, fully certified commercial hydrogen fuel station in Sacramento. The station was built with the aid of the California Energy Commission. New fueling stations are currently in the development phase and some may become commercially available at some point in early 2015. Linde is expected to play a major role in the development of a hydrogen fuel infrastructure throughout the United States.

Existing fuel stations may be able to supply hydrogen fuel

A recent study from Sandia found that 18% of fueling stations in so called “high priority” areas of the country are capable of providing hydrogen fuel without making significant changes to the facilities themselves. These stations have the capability to distribute hydrogen, if they are provided with the right kind of pumps and storage technologies. Introducing new pumps and storage solutions would break existing building codes, making these fueling stations ideally suited to aid in the expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure.

Safety concerns  are being taken seriously by Linde and Sandia National Laboratories

Safety will be a primary focus of the projects from Linde and Sandia National Laboratories. Hydrogen is notoriously volatile and this has caused some concerns among consumers that have shown interest in fuel cell vehicles. Automakers are working to ensure that their fuel cell vehicles comply with rigorous safety standards and new storage technologies are being used to improve the safety of hydrogen fuel and its distribution.