Fuel Cell Benefits



Fuel Cell Environmental Benefits

  • High Fuel Efficiencies
    By converting fuel directly into energy through an electrochemical reaction, fuel cells extract more power out of the same quantity of fuel when compared to traditional combustion. This direct process results in a reduced amount of fuel being consumed and greater efficiencies, 30% to 90%, depending on the fuel cell system and if the surplus heat is utilized. Combustion-based energy generation first converts the fuel into heat, limited by Carnot's Law of Thermodynamics, and then into mechanical energy, which provides motion or drives a turbine to produce energy. The additional steps involved in combustion generation allow energy to escape as heat, friction and conversion losses, resulting in lower overall efficiencies.
  • Low Emissions
    When hydrogen is the fuel; water, heat and electricity are the by-products of the electrochemical reaction in a fuel cell generating electricity, instead of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and particulate matter inherent to fossil fuel combustion.
    When fossil fuels are reformed into hydrogen, emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, sulfur oxides and other pollutants are a fraction of those produced through the combustion of the same amount of fuel.
  • Reduction in Environmental Damage Inherent to Extractive Industries
    Fuel cells avoid the environmental damage associated with the extraction of fossil fuels from the Earth when the hydrogen is produced from renewable sources. If a hydrogen spill occurred, it would evaporate instantly, because hydrogen is lighter than air, leaving only water behind. This a dramatic departure from the legacy that oil drilling, transportation, refining and waste products have left on the Earth.


Fuel Cell Engineering Benefits

  • Fuel Flexibility
    Fuel cells are capable of operating on hydrogen, or hydrogen reformed from any of the common fossil fuels available today.
  • High Power Densities
    The amount of power a fuel cell can generate within a given volume is usually given in kWh/liter. These numbers continue to rise as manufacturers continue research and development on their respective products.
  • Low Operating Temperatures and Pressures
    Fuel cells operate at 80o C to over 1,000o C, depending on the type of fuel cell. These numbers might seem high, but the temperature inside your vehicle's internal combustion engine can reach over 2,300o C.
  • Site Flexibility
    Fuel cells, with their inherently quiet operation, zero to minimal emissions and reduced permitting requirements, can be located in a variety of areas, both residential and commercial, inside and outside.
  • Cogeneration Capability
    When the waste heat from the fuel cell's electrochemical reaction is captured, it can be utilized for water, space heating and cooling. With cogeneration capabilities, the efficiencies achieved by a fuel cell system approach 90%.
  • Quick Response to Load Variations
    To receive additional energy from a fuel cell, more fuel is introduced into the system. Fuel cell load response is analogous to depressing the gas pedal in your vehicle, more fuel more power.
  • Engineering Simplicity
    Fuel cells do not contain any moving parts. The lack of movement allows for a simpler design, higher reliability's, quite operation and a system that is less likely to fail.


Domestic Energy Security

The hydrogen fuel utilized in fuel cells can be domestically produced through coal gasification, reformed from natural gas, produced through the electrolysis of water or renewable sources such as photovoltaics or wind. A domestic energy supply reduces our foreign trade debt and decreases our dependence on foreign fuel supplies that are mainly located in politically unstable regions of the World.

The rapid consumption of fossil fuels that modern society requires for its standard of living is exhausting a finite resource. The supply of hydrogen, the most abundant element in the Universe, is unlimited. By beginning the transition to a Hydrogen Economy, society can avoid the turbulent conversion based on a shortage of oil while creating domestic energy security and inventing a huge industry.

Independence from the Power Grid

A residential fuel cell system allows people to become independent of the brown outs, power failures and voltage irregularities that are commonplace when connected to the utility grid. Any one of these common power disruptions can damage sensitive computer systems, electronic equipment and the quality of life people desire to have. Reliable energy in areas that are subjected to weather related power outages.

Fuel Cells vs. Traditional Batteries

Fuel cells offer a reduction in weight and come in a compact package for the same amount of available energy when compared to batteries.

To increase the power in a fuel cell, more fuel is introduced into the system. To increase the power of a battery, more batteries have to be added increasing the cost, weight and complexity of the system.

A fuel cell never "runs down", it continues to produce electricity as long as fuel is present. When a battery "runs down" it has to undergo a lengthy, inconvenient recharge time to replace the spent electricity. Depending on where the electricity originates, pollution, costs and efficiency problems are transferred from the batteries location to the central generating plant.