Hydrogen Fuel Cells

 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars?

Hydrogen fuel cells may greatly change the way we use renewable energy now and in the future. The goal of this article is to answer the question what is a hydrogen fuel cell and explain how hydrogen fuel cells work. 

A fuel cell is an energy conversion device. It is similar to a battery. The key to making a fuel cell work with hydrogen is to capture and use the potential energy of hydrogen, which is a powerful and versatile energy carrier. Hydrogen fuel cells convert the elements hydrogen and oxygen into water and create electricity in the process. 

There are many different applications for hydrogen fuel cells. Everyone asks about hydrogen fuel cells for cars. Hydrogen fuel cells can, in fact, be used for cars, trucks, marine vessels, buses and more. As mentioned above, hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity, which can be be turned into mechanical energy by an electric motor. There are also cars that use hydrogen to fuel an internal combustion engine.

As of the writing of this article, hydrogen cars generally only available as demonstration models and not for use by the general public. Auto industry sounces indicate there were only about 200 hydrogen power cars in use in the U.S. as of October 2009. Most of these were in California.

There are some current drawbacks with hydrogen fuel cell cars or cars that use hydrogen to power an internal combustion engine.  One disadvantage is a relatively low energy output compared to gasoline. This translates into high storage tank weight in a vehicle. But if some of the major drawbacks can be overcome, hydrogen fuel cells could one day replace imported petroleum as a major source of alternative fuels. This would reduce our dependency on fossil fuels from other countries and would lower prices for the individual who must use a vehicle on a regular basis.

Hydrogen fuel cells can also power almost any portable device that uses batteries. This means it can be used for hand held devices, portable generators and more. Hydrogen fuel cells can also be used for power in remote locations, backup power sources, distributed power generation and cogeneration.

At the moment, hydrogen fuel cells are being used in a limited way. They are costly because they require platinum as a catalyst. Researchers is being done to find ways to reduce the expense. Secondly, hydrogen fuel cells are sensitive to temperature extremes, so we'll need to find ways to make them more hardy and durable. Finally, there is very little infrastructure in place to support hydrogen energy. More pipelines, fuelling stations and hydrogen generating plants are needed.

But with continuing advances into newer, safer alternative fuels, you'll see many new applications for hydrogen fuel cells in the future, as well as new methods of producing and conserving energy.