The wider adoption of fuel cells as alternative sources of power may be coming sooner than anticipated, according to a study reported by Circuits Assembly Journal.

High petroleum prices and an increasing concern for the environment are likely to raise demand for fuel cells over the coming decade, the Energy Business Reports study found.

It concluded that the global commercial fuel cell market could be worth $2.5 billion by 2009.

The energy industry thinktank said that electric power generation was becoming a large market for fuel cells, most of which contain platinum catalysts.

The portable electronics market was expected to show the strongest advances over the next decade, the report said.
 
Demand from the automotive industry for fuel cells was not expected to grow so fast in the short term, with the period between 2008 and 2013 earmarked as the boom period for fuel cell adoption in that industry.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd