Industry Canada's Energy and Marine Branch plays a catalytic role in advancing Canada's transition to a hydrogen economy by delivering on five key pillars in collaboration with key stakeholders. These include: Planning-coordination-policy analysis; Communications and Outreach; R&D Advisory Role; Commercialization and Diffusion; Private-Public Partnerships and International Activities. Key initiatives include market demonstration; promotion of international strategic partnerships; education and outreach; and, policy, analysis, and recommendations on sector commercialization issues.

About Hydrogen and Fuel Cells

Hydrogen Basics

The most abundant element, making up over 80% of our universe, hydrogen is truly the building block of our world.

Hydrogen consists of one proton and one electron. Highly reactive, it's almost never found in a naturally free state but rather bonded to other elements. Hydrogen is part of water and, therefore, essential to life.

In its free gaseous form, hydrogen is much lighter than air, rising and quickly dissipating when released into the atmosphere. Its high energy-to-weight ratio makes it an ideal spacecraft fuel. Invisible, odourless, and non-toxic, hydrogen is also widely used in the food, metal, glass and chemical industries.

The Fuel Cell

A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device that uses hydrogen or other fuels to produce electricity, water, and heat.

A fuel cell operates much like a battery, but, unlike a battery, it doesn't consume electrode material or require electrical recharging. In fact, a fuel cell can generate power almost indefinitely, as long as fuel is supplied. Plus, a fuel cell can be scaled to power everything from cell phones to automobiles to entire buildings.