As gas prices climb past $2 for a gallon of unleaded, a U.S. Department of Energy official touted the possibilities of hydrogen fuel cells to a Macon State College audience Thursday.

Hydrogen fuel cells can be used to power cars, houses, malls, power plants and even airplanes, but they have not been perfected for cost-efficient, widespread use. The U.S. Department of energy is investing $1.2 billion in research, said Mark Williams, the department's manager of distributed generation technology.

Hydrogen has great potential because it would reduce American reliance on foreign oil, produce less pollution and potentially create jobs, he said. Georgia is already ahead of the game because it's home to the world's only service and repair company for fuel cells - Logan Energy in Roswell.

"This is a great hope for job creation and export," Williams said, adding that Japan and Germany are competing with the United States to be the first to develop the technology. The Department of Energy gives research and development grants only to American companies that agree to manufacture fuel cells in the United States, he said.

Nevertheless, many American companies have worked with Japanese carmakers on research. And despite the taxpayer investment in helping U.S. automakers develop the technology, car companies are the ones who get to decide, in 2015, whether to even produce fuel cells commercially.

Hydrogen fuel cell development faces a number of challenges. To store it for use, hydrogen must be compressed, a process which itself uses a great deal of energy.

The infrastructure would take a long time to create, too. Williams pointed out how long it took to perfect cars and develop a gas supply and delivery network.

"It took 100 years," he said. "All those gas stations had to be built, and there were people who wanted to ride horses and steam engines. ... You had to be a technician and engineer to even make a car run."

Audience members asked questions about the safety of hydrogen in vehicle accidents, since hydrogen burns so rapidly and hot. (The Hindenburg airship which burned spectacularly in 1937, claiming 35 lives, was filled with hydrogen.) They also voiced concerns about whether hydrogen production would require more nuclear power plants.

Williams said the risks of hydrogen probably could be controlled like natural gas. And although nuclear power is a very efficient way to produce hydrogen, coal and other methods also can be used.

Macon State freshman Danielle Brenner said she was concerned about hydrogen's possible effect on the environment. Fuel cells consume oxygen.

One person suggested that removing that much oxygen from the atmosphere could be as bad as polluting it.

"Plants take up carbon dioxide and convert it back to oxygen," Williams said. "Maybe we should plant more trees. I don't know."

One person asked if people could still work on their own cars. Williams said a car with a hydrogen fuel cell would have a motor on each wheel, a battery and a fuel cell. Someone working on their own car would need to be very careful to avoid electrocution.

Jeff Burne, a Macon State professor, said he'd be interested in having a hydrogen fuel cell generator for his house.

"You'd have no interruptions, and it would be quiet," he said. "I could cut off from not only my electric but my gas company, and that would be fine with me."