HOW do you find the most effective technology to solve the world鈥檚 energy problem? Think American Idol or The X-Factor: yes, competitions are the way it鈥檚 done these days.
On 10 May the US Congress passed a bill authorising a series of prizes of up to $10 million for developing the key technologies needed to make hydrogen fuel cells viable as a way to propel cars. Modelled on the $10 million Ansari X prize that spurred the development of privately funded space travel, the prizes are likely to attract more researchers to the problem than offering ordinary research grants, says Anthony Eggert, associate research director of the Hydrogen Pathways programme at University of California, Davis.
Among the 鈥淗-prizes鈥� there will be four prizes of $1 million each, awarded every two years until 2016, for improvements in hydrogen production, distribution, storage, and usage. Additional prizes of $4 million will be awarded every two years for complete prototype vehicles using the new technology. A single grand prize of $10 million will be given at some point for the biggest breakthrough in 鈥渢ransformational technology鈥�.
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鈥淭here are still quite a few technical challenges鈥� to making fuel cells practical, says Eggert. He predicts the new prizes are 鈥渓ikely to speed the innovation process鈥�.
