An intended goal of the merger of two of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry’s leading advocacy organizations is to deliver an integrated strategy to the industry and a singular message to stakeholders: fuel cells and hydrogen are integral components of a clean energy portfolio.

The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association’s membership represents the entire supply chain for the delivery of these solutions. The organization will be led by President and Executive Director, Ruth Cox, and headquartered in Washington, DC.

The merger of the USFCC and NHA was market and member driven. The issues affecting the fuel cell and hydrogen industries are inevitably linked. Without mass deployments of fuel cells, the market for hydrogen as a fuel is limited—and without a hydrogen refueling infrastructure, the ability to operate many types of fuel cells is limited.

—Mike McGowan, FCHEA cochairman and head of strategic alliances for Linde, LLC’s Alternative Energy Team

As a result of the merger, the National Hydrogen Association’s annual conference, scheduled for 13-16 February 2011 in the Washington, DC area, is being renamed the “Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy 2011 Conference and Expo.” The websites for the USFCC and NHA will be accessible directly and through the new organization’s homepage, which can be found at www.fchea.org.