Greetings from the President |
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It is an immense privilege to follow in the footsteps of our founding President, Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu, who has helped shape the development of hydrogen energy technologies worldwide during the past half century by the establishment of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE), the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (IJHE), and organizing the biennial World Hydrogen Energy Conferences (WHEC) on even years and the World Hydrogen Technologies Conventions (WHTC) on odd years. I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with Dr. Veziroglu since 1978, first as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Miami, and later as the first Assistant Editor, Associate Editor and Senior Associate Editor of IJHE. More recently I have worked with the incredibly dedicated board of directors of IAHE as an Executive Vice President.
As we approach the next half century of our association, mainstream applications of hydrogen energy technologies will continue to grow. Trends suggest that hydrogen energy technologies will be part of the least-cost solutions for decarbonizing our global economies. For example, hydrogen energy technologies already support low-carbon electricity systems dominated by intermittent renewable energy resources. As members of IAHE, we must convey that successful innovations in resilient energy technologies require that we have clear and consistent energy policies, both locally and globally.
One of our greatest global grand challenges in the future will be providing water, energy and food (WEF) for a growing global population. The significance of the challenges and opportunities of the WEF nexus as an interconnected system becomes apparent when we examine the current and future economic impact in the context of climate change. To deal with global problems, we need global solutions, and no one individual, company, industry sector, or government can do it alone. I pledge to continue support of international multilateral cooperation so we all can realize the benefits of a global hydrogen energy economy.
John W. Sheffield
President, International Association for Hydrogen Energy.
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