The Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition would like to congratulate Mr. John Trocciola and Dr. Subhash Singhal as the winners of the 2007 Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition Award. This award is given annually to those who have achieved outstanding leadership and innovation in the promotion of the overall advancement of fuel cell technology.

Dr. Subhash C. Singhal is a Battelle Fellow and Director, Fuel Cells at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, where he provides senior technical, managerial and commercialization leadership to the Lab's extensive fuel cell program. He is a highly regarded, acknowledged world leader in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). He joined PNNL in April 2000 after having worked at Siemens Power Generation (formerly Westinghouse Electric Corporation) for over 29 years. Dr. Singhal is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Utah; and serves on the Visiting Advisory Board of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida.

At Siemens Westinghouse, he conducted and/or managed major research, development, and demonstration programs in the field of fuel cells. From 1984 to 2000, he was manager of Fuel Cell Technology there, and was responsible for the development of high temperature solid oxide fuel cells for stationary power generation. In this role, he led an internationally recognized group in the SOFC technology and brought this technology from a few-watt laboratory curiosity to fully-integrated 200 kW size power generation systems. He has authored over 75 scientific publications, edited 14 books, received 13 patents, and given over 250 plenary, keynote and other invited presentations worldwide. His book on High Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Fundamentals, Design and Applications has received worldwide acclaim and has also been translated in Chinese.

Dr. Singhal received a B.S. degree in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics from Agra University; a B.E. degree in Metallurgy from the Indian Institute of Science; a Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania; and an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Singhal is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of four professional societies (American Ceramic Society, The Electrochemical Society, ASM International, and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); and a senior member of the Mineral, Metals & Materials Society (TMS). He served on the Electrochemical Society's Board of Directors during 1992-94, received its Outstanding Achievement Award in High Temperature Materials in 1994, and continues as the Chairman of its highly successful biennial International Symposium on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells which he initiated in 1989. He served as President of the International Society for Solid State Ionics during 2003-2005.

Dr. Singhal has received several awards for his contributions to solid oxide fuel cell technology, including the American Ceramic Society's Edward Orton Jr. Memorial Award in 2001; an Invited Professorship Award from the Japan Ministry of Science, Education and Culture in 2002; and the Christian Friedrich Schoenbein Gold Medal from the European Fuel Cell Forum in 2006. He serves on the Editorial Board of the Elsevier's Journal of Power Sources and is an Associate Editor of ASME's Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology. He has also served on many national and international advisory panels including those of the National Research Council, National Science Foundation, Materials Properties Council, U.S. Department of Energy, NATO Advanced Study Institutes and NATO Science for Peace Programs, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Energy Agency (IEA), and the European Commission.

Dr. Singhal has been responsible for promoting solid oxide fuel cell technology for clean and efficient power generation through his pioneering and continuing a biennial International Symposium on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and through his large number of lectures worldwide. He has advised many international organizations and countries on this technology, and has participated in numerous radio, TV, and print media interviews to explain and promote the technology. He has also been active in facilitating collaboration among industry, academia and national laboratories.

Mr. John Trocciola  has served as a private consultant, both professionally and on a pro-bono basis, for a variety of potential fuel cell users in evaluating emerging and existing fuel cell technologies.   These clients include UTCPower , US Department of Energy , US Department of Defense , US and Overseas electric utilities (Including NY Power Authority, Long Island Power Authority, and RWE).   US and Overseas Natural Gas Companies such as KeySpan Energy, Energy East and Gazprom are also clients of Mr. Trocciola as well as Scripps Investments and Loans, Power Management Concepts, Ct Clean Energy Fund, Ct Department of Homeland Security, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Russian Nuclear Agency Rosatom, and the Town Government of Portland, CT.

Prior to working as a private consultant, Mr. Trocciola served a variety of roles at the United Technologies Corporation from 1963 - 2004.   His position as Manager of Advanced Materials and Development allowed him to investigate  the basic limits of materials  for all fuel cell technologies including AFC, PEM, PAFC  and MCFC, and to identify the fundamental thermodynamic properties of carbons, graphites and polymers which determine their  suitability for use in fuel cells.   In addition, he was active in performing Advanced System Analysis/Evaluation of all alternative fuel cell technologies of which he recommended PAFC for further development for commercial stationary fuel cells

As Program Manager of several NASA and DOD Programs for space and underwater fuel cell power plants, he was able to identify successful methods for supplying hydrogen and cooling fuel cells in harsh environments as well as methods to remove CO from hydrogen streams for PEM power plants.  

One of Mr. Trocciola's most notable and innovative achievements occurred while working on several US Environmental Protection Agency projects where and others at UTC and the EPA   identified and patented unique gas cleanup systems to treat the renewable gas to produce H2; this resulted in 12 fuel cell installations at waste water plants and landfills around the world.   And it was during a joint DOE/DOD Program that he was responsible for the management of the installation and startup of the first commercial fuel cell in Russia located at a Gazprom facility in Moscow.   This is the same commercial fuel cell that provided power during the Moscow blackout.

Mr. Trocciola received his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College, a M.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Connecticut.

Mr. Trocciola is recognized as a fuel cell industry leader and his 40 US Patents in areas such as AFC, PAFC, MCFC, SOFC, and PEM show his enthusiastic innovation.   He was recipient of many awards including the Special Inventors Award by NASA, the Technology Innovation Award by Discover Magazine, and the Outstanding Engineer Graduate Award given to him by Manhattan College.