Albany, NY--New Energy New York (NENY), a consortium of industrial, academic and not-for-profit energy organizations committed to advancing New York's clean energy industry, today held its first Fuel Cell Network Workshop at Albany NanoTech, a leading global center for nanotechnology R&D. A newly established subgroup of NENY, the New York Fuel Cell Network brings together NENY partners General Motors, Plug Power, MTI Micro, Delphi, Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE) and Albany NanoTech's Energy and Environmental Technology Applications Center (E2TAC) to discuss collaborative fuel cell research and commercialization strategy.

The NY Fuel Cell Network is the first of several planned subgroups NENY will establish to advance clean energy technology, research and commercialization in New York State. Future NENY Networks will include solar energy, power electronics, wind energy and superconductivity.

"While the world's demand for energy is projected to double by 2050 in response to population growth and the industrialization of developing countries, the supply of fossil fuels is limited, with restrictive shortages of oil and gas projected to occur within our lifetimes," said Pradeep Haldar, Director of E2TAC and Executive Director of NENY. "With global oil and gas reserves concentrated in a few regions of the world, the development alternative clean energy sources is vital to both our environmental well-being and our national security. NENY's goal, and that of its clean energy networks, is to enhance the parallel development of the various clean energy technologies emerging today, positioning New York state firmly in the lead of this important and growing industry."

"Fuel cell power represents one of the most promising methods for facilitating alternative energy development today, but it requires major breakthroughs in understanding, materials and design to become a truly vibrant and competitive force," said Peter Smith, President of NYSERDA. "By bringing together some of the world's largest players in commercial fuel cell research, NENY's New York Fuel Cell Network will work together to hasten the development of both the technological applications and the economic infrastructure needed to take fuel cell technology to the next level."

NENY's New York Fuel Cell Network is committed to the development of the fuel cell industry within New York State, with the Rochester-based General Motors fuel cell division taking a key leadership role. The Fuel Cell Network will be chaired by Andrew Bosco, Staff Engineer at General Motor's Fuel Cell Division. Membership is open to all NENY members engaged in active fuel cell research and/or commercialization. The network will operate as a coalition to guide, recommend and suggest R&D priorities; establish supplier networks across the entire industry value chain; and solicit funding from federal and state sources.

The inaugural meeting included keynote and overview presentations by Bob Callendar, NYSERDA, Matt Fronk, Chief Engineer of the General Motors Fuel Cell Program and Pradeep Haldar, followed by a discussion of the technical opportunities for fuel cell development by Andrew Bosco of GM and Richard Pollard, Manager of Fundamental Research for Plug Power. Xiaoming Ren, Director Fuel Cell Technology for MTI Micro and Steven Shaffer, Chief Engineer at Delphi Fuel Cell Development, both delivered presentations on diffusion media and interconnects and thermal insulation respectively -- topics identified as high priority research areas of interest by the NY Fuel Cell Network. The afternoon program consisted of discussions on the partnership and collaboration structure for the Fuel Cell Network, followed by technical breakout sessions.

For additional information about becoming a member of the NY Fuel Cell Network or NENY, contact Pradeep Haldar at phaldar@uamail.albany.edu.

About NENY
New Energy New York is a New York State consortium committed to pooling the influence and expanding cooperation among members of New York State's energy community in order to better foster technological growth and expand economic development opportunities. Members include Albany NanoTech, Blasch Precision Ceramics, the Center for Economic Growth, Delphi, EYP Mission Critical Facilities, General Motors, Greater Rochester Enterprise, Sawchuck Brown, MTI MicroFuel Cells, NYSERDA, Plug Power and SuperPower. 

About Albany NanoTech
One of the largest global centers for nanotechnology, Albany NanoTech is home to the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) and the New York State Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics (NYSCEN) of the University at Albany-State University of New York. Its 450,000 square foot complex, including the only 200mm/300mm wafer facilities in the academic world, encompasses nanoelectronics, system-on-a-chip technologies, biochips, optoelectronics and photonics devices, closed-loop sensors for monitoring, detection, and protection, and ultra-high-speed communication components.

With over 65,000 square feet of Class 1 capable 300 mm wafer cleanrooms, as well as on-site faculty and student researchers, Albany NanoTech provides corporate partners with a unique environment to pioneer, develop, and test new nanoscience and nanoengineering innovations within a technically aggressive and financially competitive R&D environment. For more information, visit our website at www.albanynanotech.org.

Contact:
Shonna Keogan
Albany NanoTech
518-956-7201
skeogan@uamail.albany.edu

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