Entrepreneurs look to future of hydrogen fuel

Most college freshmen do not spend the summer on their 13-foot Boston Whaler, chasing big storms on the Atlantic Ocean. But for College freshman Joseph Sahid, founder of the Hydrogen Expedition, it's all in a day's research.

Sahid began work on his Expedition -- a project to circumnavigate the globe in the first hydrogen fuel cell-powered vessel -- when he was a senior in high school.

His research was so successful that he opened an office in New York City for the project this summer. There, he worked with a small group of assistants to plan and organize the expedition. He communicated with Nobel Laureates, Cabinet officials, congressmen, senators and media personalities about his plans.

In Sahid's first few months at Penn, he banded together about a dozen students to work to finally put the Hydrogen Expedition's theoretical wheels into actual motion.

"Ultimately, I think [hydrogen] will be the energy source for our generation," College sophomore and Expedition team member Tom Dougherty says. "The best people to get it all together are people of this generation."

The team has a multi-step plan to move the project from meetings in Quadrangle lounges to the world's oceans and canals. The participants' first goal is to partner themselves with either Penn or another appropriate organization with nonprofit status. Next, they plan to run a feasibility study to determine the best design for the boat and the cost of the expedition.

The next step, fundraising, is potentially the most difficult. Sahid is not sure of the exact figure that is needed, but he is certain the project will cost several million dollars to complete.

By this stage, the team hopes to garner attention.

"I expect that the media will be excited by the fact that the expedition is being organized entirely by college students," Sahid says, noting that the team hopes to procure the needed equipment and funds as a result.

After casting off, the group wants to publicize to the world the possibilities of fuel cell power and alternative energy.

The energy-conserving use of hydrogen power "is a great way [for America] to get back on the world's good side," College sophomore and Expedition team member David Bock says.

Some Penn professors think that it might take awhile before the Expedition will be able to stay afloat.

"It's a laudable goal," Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering professor John Vohs says, "but at the state of the technology right now, it's not very feasible. Their reasons for doing it make a lot of sense, but [hydrogen fuel cells are] still in the research stage right now, and what they want to do is well beyond the research stage."

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering professor Raymond Gorte applauds their gumption and dedication, but shares similar sentiments to Vohs'.

While noting that the Expedition plans could be possible, Gorte says that concerns still remain.

"They don't really solve the energy problem," he says. "The problem is that hydrogen is not an energy source -- it is a way to store energy. You still need energy to make this hydrogen."

Despite the many challenges they will have to face, Sahid and his team of Penn students still remain confident and dedicated to their dream.

"The Hydrogen Expedition is a win-win for sponsors, participants, the media and society," Sahid says. "I expect that others will recognize the win-win nature of the project and will therefore help make it a success."

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