Philadelphia's best-kept secret is the city has become something of a "hydrogen hub," where applications are being developed to drive commercialization. If that's the case, AlumiFuel Power, Inc., is at the center of that hub.

The company, which moved from the University City Science Center's Port Business incubator to its new building at 3711 Market and doubled its lab space in the summer of 2009, has also benefitted from its relationship with the Drexel University Nanotechnology Consortium. Utilizing Drexel's electron microscopy and other nanoscale technology, AlumiFuel is closing in on the right formula for commercial success.

AlumiFuel generates hydrogen gas and steam for multiple niche applications, driving fuel cells for backup, portable and remote power; driving underwater propulsion systems and turbine-based portable and auxiliary power systems; inflating devices such as weather balloons for military and meteorological applications.

President David Cade moved the company from Seattle to Philadelphia a year after taking over the company in 2007. Now at the center of the hydrogen universe, it is poised to continue building key partnerships that will spur commercialization of its proprietary formulas for mixing aluminum powder with water to generate a chemical reaction. Cade's mission is to spread the word that hydrogen is a viable and safe alternative energy.