Aluminum/water reaction system has gained considerable attention for potential hydrogen storage applications. In this paper, we report a new aluminum-based hydrogen generation system that is composed of aluminum/sodium hydroxide/sodium stannate solid mixture and water. This new system is characterized by the features as follows: the combined usage of sodium hydroxide and sodium stannate promoters, the use of solid fuel in a tablet form and the direct use of water as a reaction controlling agent. The factors that influence the hydrogen generation performance of the system were investigated. The optimized system exhibits a favorable combination of high hydrogen generation rate, high fuel conversion, rapid dynamic response, which makes it promising for portable hydrogen source applications. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.