HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS:
Future Applications and How They Work
Editor's Note: The following submission by Jay G. ('16) was written for his Chemistry class and details the function and practicality of the hydrogen fuel cell as a source of energy for the modern world.
In the New York Times article, The Artifical Leaf Is Here. Again, Mr. Nocera declares, “If I give you a canister of hydrogen that we got from the artificial leaf, you can’t use it right away.” To do so, you need a fuel cell, the only way one can turn hydrogen into electricity. The main concern of the artificial leafs are how to use their clean energy capabilities. Hydrogen fuel cells are not commonly used in today’s infrastructure and are not demanded by today’s consumers. However, as the need for cleaner energy grows higher and the world’s abundance of fossil fuels begin to diminish the demand for fuels cells will be greater. In a future market, fuel cells could not only create electricity from an artificial leaf’s stored hydrogen for a single household but for an entire infrastructure, as fuel cells have the capacity to be used to power businesses, and even automobiles. In fact, currently Hwasung, South Korea, is home to the world’s largest fuel cell park. This fuel cell “power plant” produces fifty-nine megawatts of clean energy to South Korea’s electric grid. Additionally, the hydrogen cell has the capability to power cars; the car manufacturer Mercedes Benz Automotive Company produces an “F-cell” type car which uses an abundance of fuel cells to run on hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel cells have the capability to not only create electricity and energy from a small artificial leaf but also produce large amounts of energy in cars and in cities in the worlds near future.
A hydrogen fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen in order to produce energy. This “electrochemical” device uses an anode and a cathode in a sealed controlled environment, the “cell” part of the hydrogen fuel cell. Hydrogen reacts with catalysis at the anode side of the cell. This process causes the hydrogen atom to slit into a positive ion, a proton, and electrons. The elections move into a circuit creating a current and the proton that has been formed through this process moves between the anode and cathode to where an electrolyte is. The electrons moving along the circuit create an electrical current that can be measured in volts. When the protons and electrons reach the cathode they merge with oxygen to produce water, which is released out of the cell. Many fuel cells that work this way in vehicles only produce 1.16 volts of energy. To compensate, multiple fuel cells are stacked to create a fuel cell stack that can produce more energy. This fuel cell stack technique is also used in large-scale hydrogen fuel cell power plants. For any hydrogen fuel cell to work there must be a hydrogen source. This source could be stored or be produced by the artificial leaf.
The hydrogen fuel cell allows for energy to be produced cleanly from hydrogen. Today hydrogen fuel cells are being used more because they can produce energy from hydrogen efficiently and cleanly. The reason for this clean energy is because the reaction to produce this electricity form the hydrogen is by use of electrochemical process and not that of combustion. This allows for less emission produced from fuel cells than by fossil fuels. Scientists are finding more uses for hydrogen fuel cells, whether that is in a hydrogen powered car or an artificial leaf. Hydrogen fuel cells have the application to power the world’s largest cities, but the energy does have drawbacks. Even though hydrogen is abundant and has a wide variety of uses for energy use in the world’s infrastructure, the clean energy is expensive. Today, buying hydrogen fuel cells to cover electrical costs would cost more than a fossil fuel source of energy. As a result, the world is a long way away from the use of hydrogen fuel cells in everyday life. However, discoveries and inventions like the artificial leaf let the hydrogen fuel cell come one step closer to a modernizing hydrogen fuel cell powered world.
A hydrogen fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen in order to produce energy. This “electrochemical” device uses an anode and a cathode in a sealed controlled environment, the “cell” part of the hydrogen fuel cell. Hydrogen reacts with catalysis at the anode side of the cell. This process causes the hydrogen atom to slit into a positive ion, a proton, and electrons. The elections move into a circuit creating a current and the proton that has been formed through this process moves between the anode and cathode to where an electrolyte is. The electrons moving along the circuit create an electrical current that can be measured in volts. When the protons and electrons reach the cathode they merge with oxygen to produce water, which is released out of the cell. Many fuel cells that work this way in vehicles only produce 1.16 volts of energy. To compensate, multiple fuel cells are stacked to create a fuel cell stack that can produce more energy. This fuel cell stack technique is also used in large-scale hydrogen fuel cell power plants. For any hydrogen fuel cell to work there must be a hydrogen source. This source could be stored or be produced by the artificial leaf.
The hydrogen fuel cell allows for energy to be produced cleanly from hydrogen. Today hydrogen fuel cells are being used more because they can produce energy from hydrogen efficiently and cleanly. The reason for this clean energy is because the reaction to produce this electricity form the hydrogen is by use of electrochemical process and not that of combustion. This allows for less emission produced from fuel cells than by fossil fuels. Scientists are finding more uses for hydrogen fuel cells, whether that is in a hydrogen powered car or an artificial leaf. Hydrogen fuel cells have the application to power the world’s largest cities, but the energy does have drawbacks. Even though hydrogen is abundant and has a wide variety of uses for energy use in the world’s infrastructure, the clean energy is expensive. Today, buying hydrogen fuel cells to cover electrical costs would cost more than a fossil fuel source of energy. As a result, the world is a long way away from the use of hydrogen fuel cells in everyday life. However, discoveries and inventions like the artificial leaf let the hydrogen fuel cell come one step closer to a modernizing hydrogen fuel cell powered world.
Danko, P. (2014, April 3). Fuel Cells Power Up: Three Surprising Places Where Hydrogen Energy Is Working. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2014/04/140403-fuel-cells-hydrogen-wal-mart-stationary/
Fuel Cells & Hydrogen. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://www.fuelcells.org/base.cgim?template=fuel_cells_and_hydrogen
Hitt, J. (2014, March 29). The Artificial Leaf Is Here. Again. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/technology/the-artificial-leaf-is-here-again.html?ref=science&_r=1
How Fuel Cells Work. (2014, April 9). Retrieved April 9, 2014, from https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_PEM.shtml
Fuel Cells & Hydrogen. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://www.fuelcells.org/base.cgim?template=fuel_cells_and_hydrogen
Hitt, J. (2014, March 29). The Artificial Leaf Is Here. Again. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/technology/the-artificial-leaf-is-here-again.html?ref=science&_r=1
How Fuel Cells Work. (2014, April 9). Retrieved April 9, 2014, from https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_PEM.shtml
