Air Liquide Welcomes U.S. Senator Carper of Delaware to its Innovation Campus

L to R: Chemours COO Mark Newman, PlugPower CEO Andrew Marsh, American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc. Chairman & CEO Mike Graff, U.S. Senator Tom Carper of Delaware, Bloom Energy EVP & COO Susan Brennan

Air Liquide, an employer of more than 20,000 U.S. employees, welcomed U.S. Senator Tom Carper on Friday, June 4 to its Innovation Campus Delaware, home to more than 250 research and engineer professionals. The Senator toured the innovation facility showcasing Air Liquide’s commitment to advancing innovation, before delivering remarks announcing that his legislation, the Clean Hydrogen Production Act, passed the Senate Finance Committee. 

The Innovation Campus Delaware, a state-of-the-art facility and the anchor of Air Liquide’s research and development activities in the U.S., was inaugurated in 2007. Since its inception, hydrogen has been a key research focus, including the study and optimization of electrolysis, the development of safety protocols for hydrogen refueling of boats and other vehicles, and the development of a membrane technology capable of upgrading biogas for renewable hydrogen production. The facility’s research serves as the catalyst for Air Liquide to continue creating transformative low-carbon fuels and leveraging sustainable technologies and innovations to transition to a clean energy economy.

To conclude the hydrogen centric event, the Senator and Mike Graff, Chairman and CEO of American Air Liquide Holdings inc., participated in a ride and drive of the Toyota hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the Mirai. 

“Welcoming Senator Carper, a true champion of innovation and the leader in the clean energy transition, to the Air Liquide Innovation Campus in Delaware is a true honor,” said Mike Graff, Chairman & CEO of American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc. “Senator Carper’s introduction of the Clean Hydrogen Production Act which will help stimulate the production and use of low carbon hydrogen across all sectors, including transportation, industry and energy storage. Leveraging key technologies, like those developed by the outstanding researchers at Air Liquide’s Innovation Campus in Delaware, the Clean Hydrogen Production Act will create jobs and help lower the CO2 emissions across many sectors. At Air Liquide, we take it as our mission to “invent the future” and Senator Carper’s Clean Hydrogen Production Act will enable the hydrogen industry to invent a cleaner, safer and brighter future for all.”

Air Liquide's commitment to hydrogen energy
In the past 50 years, Air Liquide has developed unique expertise enabling it to master the entire hydrogen supply chain, from production and storage to distribution and the development of applications for end users, thus contributing to the widespread use of hydrogen as a clean energy source, for mobility in particular. Air Liquide has designed and installed more than 120 stations around the world to date. Hydrogen is an alternative to meet the challenge of clean transportation and thus contributes to the improvement of air quality. Used in a fuel cell, hydrogen combines with oxygen in the air to produce electricity, emitting only water. It does not generate any pollution at the point of use: zero greenhouse gases, zero particles and zero noise. Hydrogen provides a concrete response to the challenges posed by sustainable mobility and local pollution in urban areas.