Join us on Thursday, January 16, at 2 p.m. ET for Energy 101 — the first in a new series of Google+ Hangouts about energy basics. Pulling together experts from the Energy Department, our National Laboratories, academia and industry, the Energy 101 Google+ Hangout series will cover everything you need to know about specific energy topics while answering your questions.

The first Energy 101 Hangout, which will be streamed on energy.gov/live and the Energy Department’s Google+ page, will focus on fuel cells. Once thought of as a niche technology, fuel cells are now becoming more mainstream as we transition to an economy powered by clean energy. In 2012 alone, the fuel cell market grew by 34 percent, with nearly 30,000 units shipped worldwide.

As the fuel cell market continues to grow, the technology has the potential to change the way we use energy in everything we do — from how we ship products to how we power our homes and cars. Whether you want to know about how fuel cells work or when fuel cell electric vehicles will hit the road or how much fuel cells could reduce carbon pollution, now is your chance to ask the experts.

Joining the live discussion will be:

• Dr. Sunita Satyapal, Director of the Energy Department’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office. Satyapal can answer questions about how fuel cells work, growth in the marketplace and the Energy Department’s role in advancing the technology.
• Daniel Dedrick, Manager of Hydrogen and Combustion Technologies at Sandia National Laboratories. Dedrick can discuss Sandia’s fuel cell research, applications where fuel cells can be used, and how the technology will help increase our energy security and reduce carbon pollution.
• Dr. Daniel Sperling, founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis.Sperling can talk about the future of fuel cells in transportation and accelerating the transition to cleaner, more efficient transportation.
• Charlie Freese, Executive Director of Global Fuel Cell Activities at General Motors. Freese can answer questions about GM’s work to develop commercially viable fuel cell electric vehicles, lessons he has learned from managing one of the world’s largest fleet of fuel cell vehicles and how industry is working to develop a hydrogen infrastructure.

You can submit your fuel cell questions in advance and during the Hangout by emailing newmedia@hq.doe.gov, posting in the comments on the Energy Department’s Facebook page or Google+ event, or tweeting @ENERGY using #askEnergy101. We look forward to answering your questions!