A research facility in the North-East has been showcasing its pioneering work in fuel-cell technology at an international conference.

The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), based at the Wilton Centre in Teesside, has a stand at the International Grove Fuel Cell Symposium this week.

The symposium is a major three-day event which will be visited by 500 international delegates and the world's leading developers of fuel cell technology.

Recent weeks have seen hikes in oil prices to record highs, highlighting an energy crisis which experts believe can be solved by fuel cells - which are "battery"-type electro-chemical devices that produce electricity and heat.

The most common type uses hydrogen as a fuel, with no by-products apart from water. It is hoped the efficient form of energy can reduce pollution and the production of greenhouse gas.

The CPI is one of regional development agency One NorthEast's five centres of excellence, and has a specialist team of ten experts working on putting the theory of fuel cells into practice.

Under the leadership of director of fuel cell applications Dr Graham Hillier the team is working on a number of fuel cell projects including mobile road signs, information signs and speed signs. There are already four hydrogen-powered road signs operating on Teesside.

The CPI is also working on fuel cells to power domestic heat and power supplies, and larger scale industrial combined power systems and surface transport, such as trams and light rail.

But Dr Hillier said the potential for fuel cell application is much greater than just small scale demonstration projects. "Fuel cells are one of the most promising choices for future green energy and the work CPI is doing will help exploit this potential to the full. All the theory in the world is no good without the ability to apply it."