As a renewable fuel, ethanol is a very attractive fuel source for hydrogen production, reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels. Tests have demonstrated that ethanol is more efficient and easier to reform into hydrogen than gasoline and other fuels, with fewer emissions and better performance.

The RFA Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Task Force seeks to promote the advantages of renewable ethanol as a fuel source for fuel cells in both stationary and transportation applications, which offer significant promise in reducing fossil fuel use and increasing energy efficiency.

In 2002, the RFA released a paper, "Ethanol & Fuel Cells: Converging Paths of Opportunity," which presents a vision of how ethanol and fuel cells can be combined to create significant synergy, reaching markets and bringing benefits that are not achieveable with any other fuel or with any other power technology. The paper outlines these benefits and presents a roadmap for how these synergies can be developed in an effective and stepwise fashion through contributions from the ethanol, fuel cell, automotive, and utility industries along with support from state and federal governments. Click here to view the paper.