DURHAM, N.C. – As America searches for ways to reduce oil dependency and mitigate climate change, the debate continues on whether hydrogen-powered vehicles will be the wave of the future.

“Hydrogen is potentially a very important piece of the long-term energy puzzle,” said Richard Newell, Gendell Associate Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics at the Nicholas School of the Environment. “Before we begin to see more hydrogen-powered cars on the highways, though, we have a number of important technical and economic challenges dealing with how hydrogen will be produced, transported, stored and converted into a useful energy source. That’s why research, development and innovation, including work being done at Duke and other universities, are a vital part of the equation.”

Duke staff, faculty and students can view an array of hydrogen-powered vehicles and learn about recent developments in fueling technologies on Friday during two events.

As part of the 2008 Hydrogen Road Tour, hydrogen-powered cars from Nissan, Toyota, BMW and other manufacturers will be displayed from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. in front of Duke Chapel.  Information about the tour is online at 

Prior to the vehicles’ unveiling, Newell, along with other panelists, will discuss the future of hydrogen at 12:15 during the “Forum on Smart Grid and Hydrogen Economies” in Biological Sciences, Room 111.

Both events are sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Hydrogen Association and other groups. The forum’s panel will also include Cynthia Moseley, North Carolina State Energy Office; Lee Mazzocchi, Progress Energy; Ralph Saunders, Strategic Research Group; Bob Boyd, Linde North America; Dick Dell, Advanced Vehicle Research Center; Richard Cregar, Wake Tech Community College; Grant Millin, PublicGen Companies; and Anne Tazewell, NC Solar Center.

Newell, who previously served on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and worked at Resources for the Future, a research institution in Washington, D.C., has published many papers and articles on energy and the environment, including on the potential for a hydrogen economy.

”For technologies such as hydrogen production and hydrogen-powered fuel cells to compete in the marketplace, you have to create a new energy system that is cost-effective compared to the alternatives,” he said. “One step toward that goal is for the federal government to establish a broad-based environmental policy that encourages lower greenhouse gas emissions.”

Research that could make hydrogen a feasible fuel source is already underway at Duke. For instance, researchers at Pratt School of Engineering have developed a membrane for fuel cells that appears to address one of the major limitations exhibited by current power-generating fuel cell technology.

Organizers of the Hydrogen Road Tour say that hydrogen vehicles and fueling technologies are approaching commercial availability, even as new research continues.

“Hydrogen is part of a balanced and diverse energy portfolio that will help address our future energy, environmental and economic security needs,” U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary Clarence "Bud" Albright, Jr. stated in a press release. “This tour provides Americans an opportunity to see what the future could hold for hydrogen powered vehicles, as we work to help make these vehicles cost competitive and available for all.”