Denis Connor, chairman of both QuestAir Technologies, a developer and supplier of advanced gas-purification systems, and the Hydrogen Highway initiative, said the commercialization of hydrogen power will begin with micro-fuel-cell applications, such as flashlights and portable power packs, as well as industrial products such as forklifts and airport baggage movers.

"We feel this is how people will first encounter hydrogen fuel-cell technology -- not in vehicles," he said.

Conner said B.C.'s fuel-cell cluster, which employs about 1,300 in 25 companies directly involved in the industry, includes a number of firms that are laying the groundwork for a hydrogen economy.

He cited fuel-cell pioneer Ballard Power Systems of Burnaby, which has reduced its stack cost by 80 per cent since 1999, along with a 10-times increase in lifetime.

Also mentioned were North Vancouver's Angstrom Power and Tekion Solutions of Burnaby, which specialize in handheld power solutions, and Cellex Power Products and General Hydrogen, both of Richmond, which are concentrating on the $6-billion US global market for electric forklifts.

Conner said key clients for the whole range of products are emerging powers China and India, which he said are in an ideal position to install a hydrogen infrastructure.

General Hydrogen president and CEO Frank Trotter said his company -- founded by fuel-cell icon Geoffrey Ballard and colleague Paul Howard -- changed its original business plan of being part of the hydrogen fuelling infrastructure because there were too many challenges.

"The problem is we've got a big chicken, but not enough eggs," he quipped. "The technology isn't the bottleneck. The problem is too much geography and not enough economics. We realized we needed to focus on key opportunities and develop the supply chain," Trotter said.