Funding for hydrogen

Roughly 25% of the MFC budget is funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, 30% by the Board of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 20% by the Swiss National Foundation and 25% by the Cantonal Universities. Private funding for hydrogen R D is about 0.75 million per year, while fuel cells receive about 6 million annually. 

Table 13.2 DOE s R D funding for hydrogen light-duty vehicles in...

Other options such as carbon nanotubes and conformable materials are being researched for hydrogen storage [43,44]. These are funded through the DOE hydrogen storage program however, the commercial applicability of these options are at least 10 years away. 

The total amount of funding provided by public entities in 2002 was estimated at 40 million. This figure includes all subsidies provided in France by the European Union for "hydrogen and fuel cells" work as part of the FP5 program. French public authorities have expressed the desire to develop HFC technologies more extensively, and the French Prime Minister confirmed the "Clean vehicles" plan, which should lead to additional support of 40 million over a period of 5 years. 

No specific priorities and targets have been set at a national level for hydrogen and fuel cells. Priorities and targets have until recently been set at the level of each research or industrial "unit" and were most often driven bythe availability of funds and not to meet strategic objectives. Hydrogen and fuel cells have, however, been included in recent national R D programs. 

The "Bicocca Project" is an integrated project for hydrogen development in urban areas. It has been set-up as a demonstration project by the Milan Municipality and Lombardy Region. In particular, the Project is important as being located in the city and will provide valuable information on howto carryout hydrogen penetration in urban areas. This project is partially funded by the Ministry of the Environment (a bout 4.6 million) with a total estimated activity cost of around 20 million. 

Over the last three years, national public funding amounts to approximately 90 million - of which 51 million is available for hydrogen and 39 million for fuel cell development and deployment. Most related projects are cost-shared with the private sector, and as such the overall budget can be estimated at roughly 130 million, corresponding to a yearly budget of close to 43 million. 

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