• Serve as a focal point for the multi-investigator activities at Penn State in the various colleges, centers, and institutes on hydrogen production, storage and utilization systems
• Facilitate the development of all types of hydrogen-based (production and consumption) technologies
• Promote the use of hydrogen for sustainable energy production
• Develop coupled biological hydrogen production and fuel cell systems for complete conversion of biomass sources to energy
• Pioneer new hydrogen storage technologies

We are witnessing the global emergence of a "hydrogen-based" fuel economy. A move towards hydrogen is motivated by the need to reduce environmental pollution associated with combustion of fossil fuels and diminishing petroleum reserves in the United States. Hydrogen oxidation is inherently environmentally friendly as its reaction with oxygen produces harmless water. Hydrogen can be produced from renewable resources, such as water and agricultural products, eliminating the net production of CO2 and helping to alleviate global warming. Oil production has peaked in the US, and will peak globally in the next 10 to 20 years. New methods of producing energy must be found, and hydrogen can be an important component of a new, sustainable energy infrastructure.

The transition to a hydrogen based economy is beginning with the commercial production of hydrogen-based fuel cells. Fuel cells are being produced to power buses, homes, and businesses in the US and in Europe. Several automobile manufacturers are developing automobiles that can convert various mixtures of carbon-based fuels to hydrogen, and oil-based companies have begun to spin off hydrogen-production ventures. The European Union recently announced a new $2 billion dollar program in hydrogen technologies. Some believe that the US currently lags behind Europe in interest, application, and research on alternative energy methods such as fuel cells. That is certainly not true at Penn State University.