Fuel Cell Technology

Clean. Quiet. Efficient.

A fuel cell is a device that produces “clean” electrical power by combining hydrogen and oxygen. Many fuel cells emit only heat and water as by-products, a far cry from the greenhouse gasses and smog that come from electricity produced by burning coal, oil or natural gas. Unlike nuclear power, fuel cells have no toxic by-product such as radioactive waste.

Fuel cells use hydrogen (or hydrogen-rich fuel) and oxygen to create electricity through an electrochemical process. If pure hydrogen is used as a fuel, fuel cells emit only heat and water as a byproduct. Several types of fuel cells are under development, and they have a variety of potential applications. In addition to powering passenger vehicles and homes, larger fuel cells could power commercial buildings, and smaller ones could power electronic devices such as laptop computers.

Fuel cells are more efficient than combustion-based technologies, and the hydrogen used to power them can be obtained from a variety of sources, including fossil fuels, renewable sources, and nuclear energy. Since the fuel can be produced from domestically available resources, fuel cells have the potential to improve national energy security by reducing our dependence on oil from foreign countries.