Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that combine hydrogen and oxygen in order to produce electricity.

During the power generation cycle, water and heat are produced as a by-products. This is a far more ideal byproduct than the unclean emissions which are created by other methods of generating electricity.

They will operate and generate power so long as fuel is supplied. Since the conversion of the fuel to energy takes place via an electrochemical process, and not by combustion, the process is clean, quiet, and highly efficient - two to three times more efficient than regular combustion, such as that done by gasoline in a generator.

Fuel cell technology is unique as a power technology - no other energy generation technology offers the combination of benefits that these devices do. While they produce extremely low (or zero) emissions (depending on the type used), other benefits include:

• Ease of maintenance
• High efficiency and reliability
• Multi-fuel capability
• Scalability
• Durability

Since they generate power through a chemical process, they operate silently. Thus, they reduce noise pollution, as well as air pollution. Heat generated by the cells, in the process of generating electricity can be captured and used to provide hot water or space heating for a home or office, in larger applications.

Another key aspect of this technology is that the cells can be scaled to any size required, without difficulty. Small cells can be produced which will power mobile phones for up to thirty days, or operate laptops for twenty hours or more. Larger versions can be produced to operate as power plants, in order to provide electricity for small cities. And of course, there are many sizes in between.

The most notable use of fuel cells currently being developed is as a replacement for the combustion engine. It is very likely that cars and other vehicles will be powered by fuel cells in the not too distant future.

In light of the above, the U.S. Department of Energy (COE) is running a program in order to research and develop this technology further. The DOE considers this to be an important enabling technology for the hydrogen economy. It states that they have the potential to revolutionize the way we power our nation, by offering cleaner and more-efficient alternatives to the combustion of gasoline and other fossil fuels.

The DOE also considers that these devices have the potential to replace internal-combustion engines in vehicles, and to provide power in stationary and portable power applications because they are energy-efficient, clean, and fuel-flexible.

Currently the DOE is working closely with its national laboratories, universities, and industry partners across the United States to overcome critical technical barriers to fuel cell commercialization. It is currently focused on the development of reliable, low-cost, high-performance fuel cell system components, for transportation and buildings applications.

The first fuel-cell operated cars are currently being piloted. The first commercially available cars of this make are predicted to hit the consumer market by 2012.

There are many forms of alternative energy being researched, developed, and utilized around the world. There is solar power, wind power, hydro-kinetic power, biomass, ocean wave power, geothermal energy, tidal power, and the list goes on and on. A key factor in reducing our uses of polluting fossil fuels will be to determine which alternative energy resources work best under which circumstances and in which locations. A full understanding of all clean alternative energy sources is necessary.

Fuels cells play a big role in helping clean up our environment.

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Anna Williams educates others on alternative, renewable, and clean energy forms, on her blog, Alternative Energy.

For further information on the different uses of fuel cells, please visit How Fuel Cells can be Used.

Source Article: What are Fuel Cells?

In one day, more water is produced by the melting of the Trotting Glacier than the population of New York City uses in one year; this glacier has receded 9 miles in just 5 years. The proof is the ice core records that reflect both CO2 and temperature levels going back 650,000 years. Each fume from a smoke stack and combustion engine output contributes to the seventy million tons of CO2 that people release into the air every day. Reducing our CO2 levels is the only option for lowering the effect of releasing CO2 into our atmosphere.

Most family houses spend around a 3rd of their energy budget on heating water for daily uses.

Heating water for showers, baths, cleaning clothes and a number of other stuff is done by electricity or gas supplied by utility companies. But the resources utilized in providing electricity and gas are non-renewable, and as more natural resources are consumed they are increasingly more difficult to find. This makes it hard for the typical household client with electric and water bills that keep on increasing at very high figures. As carbon-based fuels get harder and harder to locate and extract, this will only continue. For almost 100 years, a solar panel has been used to successfully heat up water.

It appears that the simplest application of solar energy that is currently available is solar electricity water heating. It merely requires using the principle behind the sun’s thermal rays to heat up water.

The solar panel is called the flat plate collector and batch collector systems. Flat plate collectors are just a chain of pipes that are positioned in an area of the home that receives direct sunlight (often a southern exposure and fitted to the roof). Water is passed through the pipes and is heated by the heat of the sun in contrast to any chemical chain reaction. The pipes are built to absorb the maximum heat from the sun.

A solar panel batch collector system is a tank of water that has been altered to use the most of the energy from the sun. Surfaces that are black, which absorb the thermal energy, are included. The tank is located in an area that has a lot of sunlight and it is close to the house. The water given by either one of these systems can be used for the typical plumbing system of the home, where it can be used for regular uses like showers, dish washing and cooking. Buying and installing each system will cost a lot of money but the upkeep cost is low and the system will last anywhere from ten to twenty-five years.

Dependent on how much hot water you use and how effective your house is in storing hot water, you might get back the purchase and installation costs inside 5 to seven years. You would also be doing your part in the reduction of the amount of greenhouse gases sent into the atmosphere. Just to mention a few of the advantages and disadvantages of solar power.