Japanese and U.S. officials said Wednesday they have agreed to develop a joint hydrogen-based energy program.
The Japanese government will cooperate with U.S. agencies to produce hydrogen by means of a high-temperature test reactor, or HTTR, which will be built at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Japan's Nuclear Energy Institute will assist in the project.
Scientists view hydrogen-based fuel cells as one of the most hopeful energy resources for the future. However, hydrogen production remains an expensive process and scientists think it might best be accomplished by using nuclear reactors to generate the electricity necessary to free hydrogen from water.
Also, by extending the scope of nuclear energy development to include hydrogen production, officials hope the effort could promote the construction of more nuclear plants in Japan.
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