Committed To Fuel Cell Innovation

In 2005 business, higher education, national laboratory and community leaders from across the state came together to develop a 20-year strategy to enable South Carolina to become a leader in the emerging hydrogen and fuel cell economy. During this process, careful examination of our existing resources revealed that we were in a unique position to play a role in this burgeoning industry. Just a few of our regional assets include:

National Science Foundation Center for Fuel Cell Research at USC
USC is home to the only fuel cell center in the U.S. funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) -the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells. USC's Center for Fuel Cells has fifteen industry partners, including General Motors, DuPont, John Deere, BASF, Dana Corporation, Eastman and LG Electronics.

Innovista
The University of South Carolina and its partnering private interests have joined together to create Innovista, a forward-looking research campus that will set the standard for research campus design for the next 100 years as it creates a magnet for attracting the world's brightest minds and most innovative companies to South Carolina. Current development includes 3 public research buildings and 2 private partner buildings totaling 590,000 square feet (an investment of over $140,000,000) with 235,000 square feet dedicated to industry and research related to fuel cells and Future Fuels^TM.

FuelCellSouth
FuelCellSouth is a nonprofit organization based in Columbia, South Carolina that serves as a forum to bring together researchers, entrepreneurs, and existing businesses who are engaged in fuel cells and hydrogen-related work. FuelCellSouth's intention is to create the marketplace for fuel cell industry growth in the southeast.

State Resources

The South Carolina Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Alliance formed in January 2006 to promote and foster hydrogen & fuel cell investigation, integration & education. There are distinctive South Carolina federal and state institutions leading the way in hydrogen and fuel cell basic and applied research, in addition to the research and commercialization assets located in the greater Columbia area. Some of these entities around the state include:

• Savannah River National Laboratory
  
• Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research
  
• Center for Hydrogen Technology Research
  
• James E. Clyburn University Transportation Center

State Leadership

South Carolina is fortunate to have a Congressional delegation that supports development of our hydrogen fuel cell economy.

• Representative Bob Inglis co-chairs the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus and recently introduced the H-Prize initiative. As Chair of the House Science Committee on Research, he has made growing the hydrogen economy his top priority.
• Congressman James E. Clyburn has secured tens of millions in federal funding for hydrogen fuel cell projects from his position on the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee.
• Senator Lindsey Graham, co-chair and founder of the Senate Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus, has taken the lead in organizing a state-wide approach to working with the federal government on hydrogen and fuel cell research and development issues.
• Senator Jim DeMint has made promotion of South Carolina’s hydrogen and fuel cell assets a priority for his office. Both Senators have been strong supporters of Savannah River National Laboratory, Clemson’s International Center for Automotive Research and the University of South Carolina’s Center for Fuel Cells.
• Congressmen Barrett, Wilson and Spratt have lent their support to initiatives that promote the state’s goal of becoming a global leader in the hydrogen fuel cell economy.