Fuel cells are touted by some as the energy source of the future. In fact, in 2003, the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative (HFI) program was implemented to foster the development of fuel cell technologies. Its goal is to produce practical and cost-effective fuel cell vehicles by 2020. The government has dedicated more than a billion dollars on fuel cell R & D. Now you may wonder why the government is spending so much on its development. Well, fuel cell technology is worth the investment.What are Fuel Cells?
Fuel cells are devices that continually convert a combination of fuel energy and an oxidant into electricity. The conversion is clean and energy efficient, and is fuel flexible. Common fuels used include hydrogen, alcohols, hydrocarbons, and hydrazine. The oxidants are pure oxygen and air. Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells combine a hydrogen fuel with the oxygen in the air to create electricity.
Fuel Cells and Battery
To further see how fuel cells works, you can compare it to a battery. The chemicals inside the battery are the fuel used to produce electricity. However, since this fuel is not replenished in any way, a battery can only power electrical devices for a limited period. Fuel cells, on the other hand, will produce energy for as long as the fuel and oxidant are present, thus creating a continuous production of electricity.
The Future of Fuel Cells
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program focuses on converting hydrogen to create electrical or thermal power. This power could then be used in power stations or portable applications. Another focus of the program is direct hydrogen fuel cells to power vehicles. These PEM fuel cells can be utilized as internal combustion engines in cars.
Current Fuel Cell Usage
Due to the high cost of building hydrogen fuel cells, they currently exist in limited applications. To date, there are only about 200 to 300 vehicles in the U.S. that use hydrogen fuel. Most of these are buses and vehicles that run using electric motors powered by the converted hydrogen. Most do not burn hydrogen directly. Roughly 9 million metric tons of hydrogen are produced in the U.S. every year. If utilized for fuel cells, it could power 20-30 million cars.
Benefits
Utilizing hydrogen-fueled vehicles can greatly decrease greenhouse gas emissions produced by vehicles that use standard gasoline. In fact, it’s great to know that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) uses hydrogen technology for their space program. It is efficient enough to power the space shuttle, without causing damage to the environment. The only by-product: pure water that the crew drinks. Now that is really something to think about.
