How does a fuel cell compare with other energy production technologies?
A fuel cell is similar to a battery in that both devices convert chemical energy directly to electricity. However, a fuel cell never needs to be recharged, as does a battery. As long as fuel and air are supplied, the fuel cell produces uninterrupted electrical power. Our usual way of generating electric power is through the steam cycle. A fuel is burned to produce heat, the heat is used to produce steam, the steam turns a turbine, and the turbine’s power is used to turn a generator to produce electricity. A fuel cell circumvents this complex and inherently inefficient process by directly converting the fuel’s chemical energy to electricity in a single step.
