SPOKANE, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), received the U.S. Fuel Cell Pathfinder Award for her efforts to promote investment in clean energy sources, in particular her pivotal efforts getting a historic clean energy tax bill enacted into law. The U.S. Fuel Cell Council's annual Pathfinder Award recognizes individuals outside the industry that have helped promote the use of fuel cells in the United States.  Earlier this month, Congress passed a $17 billion clean energy tax package championed by Cantwell which was fully paid for, in part by eliminating embedded subsidies to the mature and wildly profitable oil and gas industry. The package included an eight year extension of a 30 percent investment tax credit (ITC) vital to the continued growth of the fuel cell industry.

 

“The clean energy tax bill Congress passed two weeks ago marks a game-changing point in our nation’s history and definitive step in the right direction," said Cantwell.  "I was pleased that we were able to provide the fuel cell industry the certainty of an eight year tax credit to make sure this promising technology and companies like ReliOn are part of the coming clean energy revolution."

 

 Passage of the ITC extension came shortly after the release of an Energy Department report which concluded commercialization of fuel cells could generate 675,000 new jobs over the next 25 years. The study found that fuel cell proliferation would create jobs in manufacturing, assembly, fuel production, repair, recycling, construction, and at auto shops and dealerships nationwide.

 

Cantwell accepted the Pathfinder award at the headquarters of ReliOn, a Spokane based manufacturer that produces fuel cells for use backup power units, primarily by the telecommunications industry.  ReliOn describes its products as a reliable, quiet and exhaust-free alternative to battery packs or mechanical generators. For example, a ReliOn product might sit at the base of a cell phone tower and if the tower's electricity source is knocked out during a hurricane, ReliOn's unit would automatically switch on and supply power.  ReliOn estimate that backup power market for telecoms, utilities, and government at about $3 billion to $4 billion and to date, the company has shipped about 1.5 million watts worth of fuel cell products.

 

Hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity from the chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, releasing only water or water vapor as a by-product. They can be used for power generation, transportation and portable electronics.  The key appeal of a fuel cell is that unlike power sources that use fossil fuels, the by-products from an operating fuel cell are heat and water.  The power produced is extremely reliable and consistent, sought after qualities for electronics that cannot tolerate any voltage fluctuations or can’t ever be offline. While some analysts project huge future markets for fuel cells, the technology has yet to be widely adopted -- according to the U.S. Fuel Cell Council global sales in 2006 were $353 million.

 

As a member of the Senate Committees on Finance, Energy and Natural Resources, and Commerce, Science and Transportation, Senator Cantwell played a leading role in forging the bipartisan compromise that extended tax credits for the renewable energy industries as part of H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 on Oct. 3.  The President signed the bill into law that afternoon.