Where is fuel cell used

Fuel cells can be used to generate power for a broad range of vehicles and electronic devices. In general fuel cells are optimized for energy, whereas rechargeable batteries (such as lithium ion batteries) are optimized for power. Because a fuel cell contains several components, there is a balance-of-plant volume that currently makes it difficult for them to compete with batteries in very low energy applications, such as cellular phones. Adding more energy capacity to a fuel cell, however, simply involves adding more fuel, whereas with batteries all the other components must be scaled up as well. This means that there is a certain intermediate energy range – just right for lightweight electric vehicles, backup power supplies, battery rechargers, remote power stations, and other kinds of devices – where fuel cells are already a competitive alternative to batteries. As the technology continues to improve, it is anticipated that fuel cells will increasingly penetrate lower power markets, such as laptop computers. Currently, the cost of catalysts is too high for fuel cells to be an economical alternative to the internal combustion engine for automotive power. However, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) predicts significant penetration of the automotive energy market by 2010, and nearly complete displacement of the internal combustion engine in cars and light trucks by 2040. By 2040, it is anticipated by DOE that fuel cell automotive power will save 11 million barrels of oil per day in the United States, because the fuel cell automobile will be 2.5 times as energy efficient as the conventional automobile.* Research on fuel cell materials (particularly catalysts and membranes) is the key to making this transition to fuel cell powered automobiles.

*DOE draft report, Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program Multi-Year Research, Development and Demonstration Plan ,/www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/mypp/

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