Advantages of Fuel Cells

The process by which fuel cells create energy is nearly silent, and it is done much more efficiently than the combustion engines that create energy from gasoline.

The most attractive feature of fuel cells, however, is that the only by-product is water and water vapor. No greenhouse gases are formed and no carbon footprint is left behind.

First, fuel cells provide an efficient alternative to other power generation models. Fuel cell power plants can offer 47-80% efficiency when generating electrical power, while fossil fuel power plants only use 35% efficiency. Furthermore, fuel cells have a much lower emission rate of pollutions such as nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide and carbon dioxide than coal and other fossil fuels than standard energy generation options.

However, fuel cell are not only one of the top choices in green energy in power plants; they can also be used to fuel hospital, hotels, universities and personal homes.

Hydrogen is not often found in its free state on earth, and processes to extract it are sometimes pricey. In recent years, to overcome this, researchers have developed methods by which to extract hydrogen from water through a process called electrolysis. Electrolysis simply pulls the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water apart, leaving behind the desired hydrogen. Better still, there has been much advancement in the use of solar and wind sources to power the machines needed to perform electrolysis.

Amory Lovins, one of the driving forces of the Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado believes that fuel cells in cars will even be able to act as generators to power homes and offices. He has also expressed his belief that they can act as backup generators in while traveling in remote areas.

Some hybrid cars already utilize fuel cells in combination with gasoline tanks. As research and development is perfected on fuel cells, the cost of these vehicles will decline and the price will be more appealing to the consumer. Once the cost is comparable to gasoline powered cars, more will be sold, leading to cleaner burning engines that leave only a trace of water as exhaust. Because water is the only by-product and contains hydrogen, it is a continually renewable energy, one that almost creates itself.