Hydrogen Fuel Cell Facts
With all of the discussion about green technologies and renewable energy sources, hydrogen fuel cells have become a more and more popular option among people who want to make a difference.
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Efficiency
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A hydrogen fuel cell is an extremely efficient producer of energy. An estimated 60 percent or more of the energy produced in a hydrogen fuel cell goes to powering a vehicle. This is a vast improvement over the 20 percent or so produced by most internal-combustion engines. However, hydrogen fuel costs more energy to make than the fuel itself will create in the hydrogen fuel cell. So there is a trade-off in efficiency.
Stacks
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A single hydrogen fuel cell will produce only about 1 volt of power by itself. That is why hydrogen fuel cells must be stacked to produce enough energy to drive a vehicle's engine. One of the biggest challenges is creating fuel-cell stacks small enough to fit into a vehicle and power it without taking up too much room and weighing too much.
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Origin
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While it is a green technology, the hydrogen fuel cell is far from new. The concept was discovered in 1838 in Germany. The first functioning hydrogen fuel cell was built in 1843 by Sir William Robert Grove. The device was a mostly forgotten curiosity until General Electric resurrected it in the 1950s. The hydrogen fuel cell has been puzzled over and improved ever since.
Batteries
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A hydrogen fuel cell can be thought of like a battery. It runs on a chemical-electric reaction, breaking up hydrogen and using its electrons to create an electric current. However, unlike a battery, a hydrogen fuel cell will continue to function as long as it is provided with fuel. This is where a lot of its efficiency comes from, since the reaction is constant and relatively simple.
Exhaust
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Unlike internal-combustion engines, a hydrogen fuel cell puts out only two products while it runs. The first is heat, which isn't enough to do any damage or pose a danger. The second is water, which is expelled through an exhaust pipe. This is the main reason hydrogen fuel cells are backed for green vehicles---they put out no pollutants.
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