Hydrogen technology on display in Michigan park

• With an eye on future U.S. energy needs, DTE Energy Co. plans to unveil Michigan's first Hydrogen Technology Park on Saturday in Southfield, where hydrogen fuel cells and the vehicles they power will be on display for the public.
• The grand opening of Michigan's first multiuse, renewable hydrogen-fueling station has brought together the utility and automotive industries to develop alternative power sources that don't rely on petroleum.
• DTE, Michigan's largest power company, has teamed with DaimlerChrysler AG, Lawrence Technological University and BP (formerly British Petroleum) to develop a cutting-edge Hydrogen Power Park, which powers 10 5-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cells, using solar power and the electric grid.
• The park also contains a hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicle filling station capable of refueling three prototype hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles daily.
• Given the high price of gasoline these days -- the average price for regular in Michigan is $2.38 a gallon -- the study couldn't come sooner.
• The United States imports nearly 60% of the crude oil consumed in the country.
• Meanwhile, the prices of crude oil, the feedstock for gasoline, have more than doubled over the last three years.
• After flirting with the $60-a-barrel threshold the last three weeks, August delivery of crude oil futures fell $2.11 to close at $57.80 Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange after meteorologists determined that Hurricane Emily would not likely hurt oil production in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Fuel cells use stored hydrogen and oxygen from the air to produce electricity to power cars, trucks and stationary products.
• At Inkster and West 11 Mile roads next to a Detroit Edison substation, the new power park is a demonstration facility that is capable of producing hydrogen gas from tap water.
• DaimlerChrysler is using the Mercedes F-Cell, a four-passenger compact fuel cell vehicle, and the Dodge Fuel Cell Sprinter van for the vehicle refueling aspect of the project.