Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is promoting the development of fuel cell technology this Christmas with the help of the State Capitol Christmas Tree.

The former actor switched on the lights of the tree this week, with the 6,500 energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs being powered exclusively by a 1kW hydrogen fuel cell.

It is hoped that the move will promote the benefits of fuel cell technology and also its reliability, as the lights will remain on throughout the festive period.

Welcoming the achievement, Mr Schwarzenegger commented: "Once again, California is a pioneer in protecting our environment with this tree, which is powered entirely by a clean, zero-emission power source."

Manufactured by Altergy Systems, the fuel cell system was provided by the California Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative.

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