Fuel Cells 101 What are fuel cells? Fuel cells are an advanced energy technology that uses a chemical reaction to harness hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity without combustion or harmful emissions. The only byproducts are pure water and useful heat. What makes fuel cells different from other energy sources? A fuel cell running on pure hydrogen is a zero-emission, high-efficiency power source. Some fuel cells use natural gas or hydrocarbons as a hydrogen “feedstock,” but even those produce far less emissions than conventional power plants. Fuel cells are also very quiet, reducing noise pollution. Fuel cell vehicles operating on hydrogen produce zero pollution. The only byproducts are water and heat. Even if hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels, fuel cell vehicles can reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by over 50% and use less than half the fossil fuel input. Why fuel cells? Fuel cells have several advantages over other technologies for power generation. They emit no pollutants and use far less input fuel. Fuel cells offer unique characteristics that provide unprecedented advantages, such as “off-the-grid” power supply, dependability and quiet operation. What kind of fuel cells are there? There are a variety of fuel cell types, which are often categorized by the electrolyte they contain. The best-known types are alkaline, molten carbonate, phosphoric acid, proton exchange membrane and solid oxide. Direct methanol and regenerative fuel cells are also being extensively developed. Fuel Cells 101 – Page 2 of 3 How do fuel cells work? Fuel cells generate electricity from an electrochemical reaction in which oxygen (air) and a fuel (e.g., hydrogen) combine to form water. The different kinds of fuel cells share the same basic mechanism. Hydrogen fuel is fed into the anode of the fuel cell. Oxygen (or air) enters the fuel cell through © 2008 Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition the cathode. A catalyst serves to split the hydrogen atom into a proton and electrons, which take different paths toward the cathode. The proton passes directly through the electrolyte. The electrons, which cannot pass through the electrolyte, go around it, forming a separate current that can be utilized as a power source, before they reach the cathode, where they are reunited with their protons and oxygen to become water. Unlike internal combustion, there are no emissions from this process and the only byproducts are water and heat. The electricity produced can be used to power all sorts of devices, from cars and buses to laptops and mobile phones. In some applications, the heat byproduct is also used to heat residential dwellings. When was the fuel cell invented? Fuel cells were initially demonstrated in 1839, by Sir William Grove, often called the “Father of the Fuel Cell.” Francis Bacon developed the first fuel cell device in 1932, with a hydrogen-oxygen cell, but he was challenged by several technical hurdles. It wasn’t until 1959 that Bacon demonstrated a practical five-kilowatt fuel cell system. Around the same time, NASA began to develop fuel cell technology for Fuel Cells 101 – Page 3 of 3 the space program. Fuel cells soon became an integral part of NASA’s energy portfolio, supplying electricity to several space missions. However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that fuel cell technology reached significantly into the private sector, with a broad range of commercial applications in production or research and development.
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