North Carolina
Fuel Cell Alliance
The need for establishing a collaborative network for NC's fuel cell industry became apparent after research conducted at the Energy Center at Appalachian State University revealed an emerging fuel cell industry presence in the state that had little awareness of and interaction with each other. Spurred by the N.C. Energy Policy Council, leaders from industry, academia, and government were brought together in Raleigh during June 2004.
The Alliance held its second meeting in January of 2005, which featured presentations by some of the state's fuel cell companies. The keynote speaker at the January meeting was Governor Easley's Senior Science and Technology Advisor Dr. Robert McMahan.
North Carolina is home to a variety of fuel cell component manufacturers. Although no company currently in the state makes a completed fuel cell product, nearly every component is, or could be, manufactured in the state. Current NC-based companies are diverse in size, location, technology and development stage. With such wide exposure to a rapidly growing industry, the economic development potential for fuel cells in North Carolina is considerable.