Greenhouse gases, pollution in towns and urban transport are today the main challenges for our development.

The tendency for people to congregate in large population centers and the relentless expansion of suburban areas has meant increased use of both public and individual transport, causing a traffic levels to rise significantly.

Per capita energy consumption is steadily increasing in developing countries, at the same time as fossil fuel reserves are inexorably diminishing. Producing the energy necessary to meet populations’ needs is having increasingly harmful effects on the environment and public health, particularly for children and the elderly.

To meet international commitments, research and development of new sources of energy production, particularly in light of ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, is clearly no longer a question of choice. This agreement requires all signatories to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and of five other greenhouse gases by 5.2% (for the European Union) between 2008 and 2012, compared to 1990 levels.

Government authorities and manufacturers alike, well aware of the negative impact on our environment, have undertaken the research necessary to find clean, safe, and efficient renewable energy sources. Two of the concerns of the European Commission energy policy are global warming and energy security. Hydrogen Fuel Cell-type energy generation systems are thus features of the European Commission programs.

Hydrogen fuel cells, in particular those using technology are non polluting, silent and available in a wide power range. Now that respecting the environment has become a priority, they are the “generator of electricity” for public transport and stationary, mobile and system-integrated applications.

Recent developmental advances and new materials mean that different applications are being developed in the areas of public transport, stationary and small-scale portable energy sources and energy distribution.

With a lot at stake for society and for the economy, it is time that Hydrogen be recognized as a carrier of clean energy.