Your Green Life

In the search for renewable energy sources that have potential to replace oil-based combustion sources, hydrogen fuel cells have been one of the technologies most frequently discussed. This is because Hydrogen is considered to be a dynamic carrier of energy that when used in a fuel cell can be used to provide sustained, stable power without the pollution associated with fossil fuel energy sources. Current research and development has been focused on making hydrogen fuel cells that can power cars, power stations, and other uses that have traditionally relied on fossil fuel powered systems for electricity and power.

How Does a Fuel Cell Work?

A single hydrogen fuel cell is an electrolyte that is placed between two electrodes, has an anode, and a cathode. There are bipolar plates located on each side of the fuel cell that serve as collectors of the current produced by the cell and help spread out the gases produced during the energy extraction process.

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell

The PEM fuel cell is the most researched of the varieties of fuel cells for propulsion of vehicles. In this design, hydrogen gas is channeled to the cell anode where a catalyst is used to separate the hydrogen molecules into electrons and protons. The membrane then only allows protons to pass through it to the other side of the cell. At the same time, the electrons follow an external circuit to the cathode section of the cell and is the electricity that is produced by the cell. On the opposite side of the fuel cell, oxygen gas is channeled to combine with the electrons that creates heat from an exothermic reaction that can be used external to the fuel cell.

All hydrogen fuel cells to date have consisted of two electrodes and an electrolyte. The different classifications of cells is based on the type of electrolyte used in the cell. Different ones will result in a variance in chemical reaction within the call and temperatures produced by the fuel cell.

What Are Some Hydrogen Fuel Cell Applications?

Hydrogen fuel cells have been looked at for a variety of power options. Some of these include use in stationary power stations for remote power backup, distributed power generation, and cogeneration. On the smaller scale, miniature hydrogen fuel cell research has focused on being able to replace traditional batteries in order to provide power for portable devices and small generators. Probably the most well-known use of fuel cells has been as an alternate power source for automobiles and marine engine replacements.

Why Should We Develop and Use Hydrogen Fuel Cells?

Since hydrogen fuel cells directly convert the chemical energy stored in hydrogen to electricity with water and heat as the only waste products, it is significantly more friendly to the environment. Fuel cells also have been shown to have up to three times the efficiency of fossil fuel combustion. For example, the engine in your car is at most 20 % efficient when converting the energy potential of gasoline where an equivalent hydrogen fuel cell would be between 40 and 60 percent efficient. Fuel cells also require less machinery to use for conversion to power than a traditional gasoline-based engine and would require 2 to 3 times less the equivalent volume of fuel that a gasoline-powered car does.

Barriers to Adopting Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology

The most significant barriers to wide-spread adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology as a green energy source is the reduction of cost and improvements in the durability of fuel cell systems. At the time of this writing, fuel cell systems were still not cost-competitive with fossil fuel based propulsion systems. Current research in fuel cell technologies remains focused on trying to find new materials that will help reduce the cost of fuel cells and improve the durability of fuel cell systems.