WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY ?
The most impressive fuel cell benefits are their high fuel efficiency and zero emissions. In addition, fuel cell technology can help us reduce our dependence on petroleum because fuel cells use hydrogen, and hydrogen can be produced from many sources, including renewable sources. When using hydrogen, fuel cells don’t emit any pollution or greenhouse gases either. The only by-product is water vapor. The electric drive train of a fuel cell vehicle provides other benefits, too. An electric motor gives these vehicles a very high torque for quick starts and quiet ride. Fuel cell vehicles refuel quickly. Fuel cells are powerful, have the potential to be easy to maintain, and can contribute to reducing noise pollution, a significant issue in urban areas.
Fuel cells provide an alternative to the use of fossil fuel for power generation. There are a number of factors which make them increasingly competitive. Pollution Reduction: Fuel cells lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce other environmental pollutants. This has been an important and recent motivation for the development of fuel cell technology. CO2, NOx, SOx and other emissions are reduced with all fuel cell technologies. Lower Costs: In many cases fuel cells produce power at lower cost than traditional fossil fuel competition. This is increasingly true as the cost of fossil fuels escalates. Reliability: Fuel cells provide a reliable source of power for applications that had previously be subject to power interruptions. Fuel cells do not rely on the grid to derive their power and therefore represent an attractive alternative and back up to grid supplied power. Efficiency: Fuel cells operate at 40-80% efficiency depending on the type of technology deployed. This often represents
