DTE Energy was selected by the US Department of Energy as its partner to develop, build and operate the project that will create hydrogen gas from tap water and use that gas in fuel cell generators and to refuel fuel cell vehicles. DOE will provide 49% of the funding for the $3 million, three-year project, which will result in a system capable of delivering about 100,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year -- enough to power a small office building or about 20 homes -- and enough compressed hydrogen gas to fuel three vehicles per day.

The project will be at Detroit Edison's Southfield Station on the northeast corner of 11 Mile and Inkster roads. "Through our partnership with DOE, DTE Energy can continue its commitment to clean and renewable energy technologies," says Anthony F. Earley Jr., DTE Energy chairman and chief executive officer. "The Hydrogen Technology Park will be the first of its kind to model a complete, multi-use hydrogen energy system and promises to provide insight into the technical and economic challenges of commercializing hydrogen."

Earley noted DTE Energy's Hydrogen Technology Park would help Michigan become a world leader in advanced energy technologies that will eventually play an important role in the nation's energy system. "The state and city of Southfield also have the opportunity to be at the center of new energy technology development and the associated job creation," Earley says. "The Hydrogen Technology Park will be a showcase that draws visitors from around the world."