Frank Wolak
President and CEO, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association
Speaker Biography:
Mr. Wolak is the President and CEO of the Washington, DC based Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA), the industry association for hydrogen energy and fuel cell technologies in the United States. FCHEA has been the stable, unified voice of industry leadership for more than 30 years, advocating for funding and policies to support and encourage fuel cell and hydrogen development and deployment at all levels of government and in the private sector.
Prior to FCHEA, Mr. Wolak was a Senior Vice President at FuelCell Energy, Inc. During his tenure at FuelCell Energy, Mr. Wolak initiated and developed some of the most innovative and largest fuel cell technology applications in the world and worked closely with the US Department of Energy and Congress to define and sustain programs for hydrogen and fuel cells.
Mr. Wolak has experience in all facets of energy including executive positions outside the fuel cell and hydrogen industry at an international energy services company, a power development and investment company, public energy resources corporation and as management consultant providing insight to clients in emerging technology and utility segments.
Mr. Wolak serves as Vice Chair of the Global Hydrogen Industry Association Alliance (GHIAA) and serves at the appointment of the Secretary of Commerce to the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee. Mr. Wolak holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Western New England University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Hartford.
Abstract:
In only a few years hydrogen has emerged from its historical use as an industrial gas and feedstock for chemicals into a role as a key resource in global efforts to achieve decarbonization, with new applications for use in heavy industry, power generation and transportation. To enable these new applications, the US government and countries around the globe are developing and implementing policies to foster investment in hydrogen production and use. The presentation will describe the evolution of hydrogen from an industrial gas, produced and used for nearly one hundred years, to a far-reaching decarbonization tool with the potential to provide over 15% of U.S. total energy demand by 2050. The presentation will discuss the types of production and hydrogen technologies and will outline the rationale and goals for the efforts in the United States and around the globe to advance hydrogen, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors of the economy.
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