Forecast: Fuel Cells To Power Nearly 15% Of Laptops In 2012

Micro fuel cell technology will power nearly 15% of the world's laptop computers by 2012, predicts Oyster Bay, N.Y.-based ABI Research. The technology will appear in limited use in laptops and personal digital assistants (PDA) as soon as 2005, with production scaling up after that, the research group says. Projections show about 2,000 units in trial production next year, propelled primarily by Japan and the United States. Worldwide micro fuel cell shipments could reach 120 million units by 2012, ABI Research says. However, the company notes, "Not everything is a bed of roses in the micro fuel sector." Atakan Ozbek, ABI director of energy research, says that much of the data on micro fuel cells is not verifiable due to the emerging nature of the technology. "This makes it hard to evaluate the sector's true status," he said, "but our research indicates that micro fuel cells will be powering 13.5% of laptops by 2012."