Fuel Cell Information

Everyone has heard of fuel cells, but very few people actually know anything about them. This page contains links to articles on various subjects relating to fuel cells, in order to give you a complete understanding of how they work, what they can be used for, and how they have the potential to change the way we make energy.

The topics covered include basic information on fuel cells, and then more detailed analysis of the uses of fuel cells, types of cells, and about what changes are occurring in the fuel cell market.
So to jump straight in and find out about fuel cells, simply select any of the links below. There are a lot of resources listed under each category -- so please look through all of the links. Many of our resources are from fuelcells.org -- please visit them for more information. Two of our most popular links is the current DOE Handbook, and "Winning the Oil Endgame" listed below:

DOE FE Fuel Cell Handbook The Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy Fuel Cell Handbook (Seventh Edition) November 2004 produced for the National Energy Technology Laboratory provides detailed information on fuel cells.

Download Winning the Oil Endgame (PDF-1.9 MB) Free document courtesy of Rocky Mountain Institute on Ending the Oil Game. If you enjoy this research document, please visit http://www.oilendgame.com

Fuel Cell Information

Stationary fuel cells can produce enough electricity and heat to power an entire house or business -- which can result in significant savings. These fuel cells may even make enough power to sell some of it back to the grid. Fuel cells can also power residences and businesses where no electricity is available. Sometimes it can be extremely expensive for a house not on the grid to have the grid connected to it.       Read more -->

Transportation Applications

Many factors are contributing to the fuel cell push in the automotivemarket. The availability of fossil fuels is limited, and due to this, an inevitable price increase will occur. In addition, legislation is becoming stricter about controlling environmental emissions.      Read more -->

Portable Applications

In coming years, portable devices—such as laptops, cell phones,video recorders, and others—will need greater amounts of power for longer periods of time. Fuel cells are very scalable and have easy recharging capabilities compared to batteries. Cell phone technology is advancing rapidly, but the limiting factor for the new technology is the power. More power is required to provide consumers with all of the functions in devices they require and want      Read more -->

Fuel Cell Types

There are many types of fuel cells that are currently being researched. Different types of fuel cells are differentiated from one another on the basis of their electrolyte and/or fuel that is used with that particular fuel cell type. The common fuel cell types are:

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC)
Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFC)
Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells (PAFC)
Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC)
Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC)
Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC)
Biological Fuel Cells (BFC)

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane fuel cells (PEMFC – sometimes called proton exchange membrane fuel cells), and DMFCs are very similar except for a few minor differences in the fuel cell construction and the fuel type that is used.      Read more -->

Fuels for Fuel Cells

Hydrogen is a commonly used fuel for fuel cells,, but several other fuels can be used, as well as many types of fuel reforming systems. The cleanest fuel is pure hydrogen because it generates zero emissions. Many fuel cell designs utilize other fuels because of the availability or perceived safety of those fuels. Fuels for fuel cells range from hydrogen to fossil fuels to biofuels. Several types of reformers and chemical conversion methods can convert all of the fuels mentioned previously to hydrogen.      Read more -->

Hydrogen Storage

There are many commercially available technologies for storing hydrogen. The most common storage method is the pressurized storage tank, which is available in many sizes and pressure ranges. There are also many other storage methods that are covered in this section.      Read more -->

Hydrogen Infrastruture

In order to successfully convert the oil-based infrastructure to a hydrogen one, a radical transformation of the global energy-supply system is required. A large infrastructure to store, distribute, and transport hydrogen would need to be built, and consumers need to be interested in purchasing fuel cell vehicles and other fuel cell products. The total cost of building a hydrogen infrastructure would depend on when and how fast it is built.      Read more -->

Fuel Cell Components

The most commonly used fuel cell stack components and materials include:

Proton conductive membrane
Gas diffusion layers
Catalyst layers
Bipolar plates
Gaskets
End plates

Read more -->

Market Studies

There have been many free market studies that have been published for the fuel cell industry. To read more,      Read more -->