Air Products and Chemicals (APD 1.65%) is known for supplying specialty gases to global industrial clients but the company has piqued my interest because of their growing position in hydrogen. In 2010, the company signed a deal with PetroChina (PTR +0.00%) to build a hydrogen facility in Sichuan, China with a goal of helping to make cleaner transportation fuels. The company also has an agreement to supply hydrogen to a subsidiary of India's POSCO and in October announced it will be building a new hydrogen plant for India's state-controlled oil and gas company Bharat Petroleum. More recently, Air Products announced it received a small grant ($900K) from the US Energy Department as part of a $7 million program to help lower costs related to commercializing cost-effective hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
For its part, Air Products is developing a tube trailer for hydrogen delivery and storage that can withstand high pressures, something that makes its SmartFuel H70/H35 retail hydrogen dispenser the future of filling up. As a clear leader in providing hydrogen to be used in internal combustion engine or fuel cells to generate power. Air Products, with over a half century's experience in hydrogen energy technology, is a name to watch as the move to embrace hydrogen continues to grow.
