OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-The global fuel-cell market could be worth $35 billion in 10 years, but first it has several hurdles to overcome, according to research firm ABI.
“In the long term, fuel cells will provide a clean and renewable source of energy, but for product launches within the next few years, cost and technical issues will pose significant barriers for consumers,” explained Daniel Benjamin, ABI analyst and the report’s author. “Initial consumer fuel-cell products will focus on stationary power generation and portable electronics. However, they may not function as well as the power systems they’re replacing, yet will be more expensive.”
ABI expects lower cost and higher performance fuel cell-powered products to begin selling in large numbers by 2006.