Fuel cells are devices used to produce electrical power, and are beginning to receive a large amount of public attention. The following information will provide an introduction into fuel cells, what they are, what they can do, why they're important, what the commercial implications of are and what is happening in the future.on fuel cells
What is a fuel cell?
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that produces electricity from a combined chemical reaction and electrical charge transport that occurs within the fuel cell. This is very similar to the way a battery produces electricity. However, unlike a battery, a fuel cell only produces electricity while fuel is supplied to it. The reaction is at relatively low temperatures, and no combustion takes place in the fuel cell. The primary fuel used in fuel cells is hydrogen. When hydrogen is supplied, a chemical reaction, between hydrogen and air produces electricity, pure water and some heat. The electrical power available is proportional to the rate of fuel flowing into the fuel cell, limited by the physical size of the fuel cell. Some fuel cell basics and fuel cell vehicle design options.
There are five primary types of fuel cells, each distinguished by the type of the electrolyte that is used to carry charge between the fuel and the oxygen in the air. Because fuel cells produce power without combustion, they are considerably more efficient than their internal combustion engine counterparts. Gasoline engines in automobiles are approximately 13 to 25 percent efficient. That's right, 75 to 87 percent of the gasoline you put in your tank does not participate in moving your automobile. A fuel cell attached to an electric motor can be in excess of 40 percent efficient. Today, fuel cells that can be used in automobiles and other vehicles are being produced with efficiencies of 45 to 58 percent.
What can fuel cells do?
Since a fuel cell is a device that produces electricity directly from hydrogen fuel, its application can be for anything that requires power in the form of electricity, rotary power or heat. A unique characteristic of all fuel cells is that they can be made small enough to power a cellular phone or large enough to power a town, without significantly changing the design. Therefore the markets for fuel cells are virtually unlimited. Some major applications include all ground or surface vehicles, such as cars, utility vehicles, trains, boats, jet skis, snow mobiles, motorcycles, etc. There are also applications in power production, such as commercial utility power, remote power and portable power production. Fuel cells have been used to produce electricity and water in all the Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle missions. Now, what once was exotic technology is about to become commonplace.
Why are fuel cells important?
In 1990 few automobile companies or utilities were openly pursuing the fuel cell as a production power plant. Today every major automobile company in the United States, Europe and Japan has a serious fuel cell program. On March 17, 1999, DaimlerChrysler unveiled its hydrogen, fuel cell powered concept car called the NECAR IV. It has a refueling range of 280 miles and can travel at 150 kph (90 mph). Also, more than 100 fuel cells large enough to power small buildings or neighborhoods have been commercially produced and deployed throughout the world. It is reasonable to expect almost every power producing device in the world to be replaced by fuel cell devices over the next 50 to 80 years. Clearly, the market potential for such an endeavor is in the trillions of dollars. The fuel cell has recently been termed the "Micro chip of the energy industry". Two important advantages of fuel cells are that they do not produce polluting emissions or greenhouse gases, and do not require supplies of foreign oil.
What are the commercial implications?
Just like any new technology that has been introduced into society, the best early market applications for fuel cells are in the small, high value niche markets. From there, economies of scale and other drivers expand the market and drive further development, in turn expanding markets. All this is still subject to traditional "valley of death syndrome" issues in new business and technology development.
However, the level of development and international interest to date assure that fuel cells will play a significant role in nations' economies. The automobile is one of the most difficult markets for the fuel cell and most likely will be one of the last major markets into which they will be introduced.
Over the next five years we expect fuel cells to be commercially introduced into several transportation and utility power markets. In transportation we see applications in specific service vehicles, electric scooters and certain marine applications. For utility applications there are high value niche markets in remote villages around the world. Two billion people, one-third of the world's population currently does not have electricity. Additionally, remote and portable power are two other important early applications for fuel cells.
There are currently a couple dozen small and large companies manufacturing fuel cells. However the opportunity for growth in this market is tremendous. There is, and will be competitive opportunities for manufacturing, integrating and deploying fuel cells and related equipment for decades to come.
