B.C. Premiere has High Hopes for Hydrogen

VANCOUVER -- - British Columbia is a hydrogen powerhouse that will have half its electricity generated by clean sources in 2010, Premier Gordon Campbell said recently.

Campbell made the remarks to about 500 people on the closing day of a hydrogen fuel cell conference here.

Calling British Columbia a leader in fuel cell research, Campbell told the conference that global demand for fuel cells and related products is expected to increase to $46 billion by 2011 and $2.6 trillion by 2021.

Campbell also emphasized the B.C. government's support for fuel cell researchers, telling delegates they could e-mail their ideas to Rick Thorpe, provincial competition, science and enterprise minister, or Energy and Mines Minister Richard Neufeld.

After the speech, Campbell joked about a latte he was given that was heated by hydrogen power.

"The coffee is hot; I don't notice a difference by this coffee heated by a fuel cell or our regular electricity," Campbell told the laughing crowd. "So we're lucky: fuel cells are better.

"Overall it's a much more sustainable coffee."

The conference, which started Sunday, showcased hydrogen fuel cell research and government financial support.

On Sunday, Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal promised $14.1 million to support hydrogen fuel research.

Hydrogen fuel cells use hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, to create electricity by combining with oxygen. When pure hydrogen is used the only waste products are water and heat.

Later Wednesday, Campbell announced an $8.7-million contribution toward a $27.5-million isotope separator at the University of British Columbia.

The new facility will expand on an existing isotope separator built in the 1990s to produce exotic atoms for scientific research.