The U.S. Department of Energy announced last week that Reston, Va.-based Sprint Nextel will receive $7.3 million from the economic recovery package to expand fuel cell technology.  

The grant will be used to expand Sprint's hydrogen fuel cell program at cell sites throughout the United States - creating 72 hours of additional power to the communication infrastructure used by state and local first responders and by public safety answering points, such as 9-1-1 centers. 

Here is how Sprint describes the project:

The grant funding will be used to expand the number of Sprint cell sites which rely on hydrogen fuel cells for back-up power. These fuel cells are activated when service from the local electric utility is disrupted during severe weather or other natural disasters. Currently, most deployed hydrogen fuel cells are paired with low-pressure hydrogen tanks which provide around 15 hours of back-up power before needing refueling. As part of this grant, Sprint will work with hydrogen fuel cell manufacturers, tank providers and hydrogen suppliers to extend the unassisted run-time to 72 hours. 

The funding for Sprint is part of $41.9 million from the economic recovery package that will be used to invest in 13 fuel cell technology projects nationwide, in an effort to expand the use of clean and renewable energy sources and reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.  The investment will accelerate the commercialization and deployment of nearly 1,000 fuel cell systems and will create jobs in fuel cell manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and support services. 

For more information about DOE’s fuel cell activities, click here.