WHAT IS A FUEL CELL?
In principle, a fuel cell operates like a battery. Unlike a battery, a fuel cell does not run down or require recharging. It will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied. A fuel cell consists of two electrodes sandwiched around an electrolyte. Oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen over the other, generating electricity, water and heat. Hydrogen fuel is fed into the “anode” of the fuel cell. Oxygen (or air) enters the fuel cell through the cathode. Encouraged by a catalyst, the hydrogen atom splits into a proton and an electron, which take different paths to the cathode. The proton passes through the electrolyte. The electrons create a separate current that can be utilized before they return to the cathode, to be reunited with the hydrogen and oxygen in a molecule of water. A fuel cell system which includes a “fuel reformer” can utilize the hydrogen from any hydrocarbon fuel – from natural gas to methanol, and even gasoline. Since the fuel
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with water and heat as its by-product. As long as fuel is supplied, the fuel cell will continue to generate power. Since the conversion of the fuel to energy takes place via an electrochemical process, not combustion, the process is clean, quiet and highly efficient – two to three times more efficient than fuel burning. No other energy generation technology offers the combination of benefits that fuel cells do. In addition to low or zero emissions, benefits include high efficiency and reliability, multi-fuel capability, siting flexibility, durability, scalability and ease of maintenance. Fuel cells operate silently, so they reduce noise pollution as well as air pollution and the waste heat from a fuel cell can be used to provide hot water or space heating for a home or office. See what great applications fuel cells can be used for! ANSWERS to some of the questions you’ve been hearing and
A fuel cell turns hydrogen, the fuel, into electricity using air and other catalysts. The fuel cell harnesses chemical energy trapped in hydrogen gas and converts it into the kinetic energy we know as electricity, without fossil fuels, combustion, or polluting emissions. As a remarkably efficient, incredibly clean source of renewable energy, fuel cells can take the place of both batteries and engines to power vehicles, laptops, and residential power grids. The technology of fuel cells has been well researched and developed, although for economic and political reasons, they have not been widely implemented. Such a clean power source, as part of a widespread hydrogen economy, guarantees less dependence on the dwindling supplies of fossil fuels, creates less greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change, and does not explode or malfunction as frequently as engine-driven electricity. Chemically, a fuel cell takes in hydrogen and air, creates electricity, and produces byproducts
