Prospects, Promises and Challenges
In the last four decades, fuel cell technology has taken man to the moon and back. And while space exploration has marked the most visible demonstration of fuel cell technology benefits to date, the future is filled with endless possibilities.
In the not-too-distant future, fuel cells will change how we live our everyday lives. They will power our vehicles, homes and office buildings more efficiently and with significantly less impact on the environment than fossil fuels. Fuel cell technology could end energy shortages and reduce U.S. reliance on imported oil.
However, four important challenges must be addressed before practical fuel cell use can become a reality. They are hydrocarbon fuel reforming, storage, cost and infrastructure development.
Hydrocarbon fuel reforming
The change from an oil-based (gasoline, natural gas) infrastructure to one based on hydrogen cannot happen overnight. It will require a transition period to ease society out of the familiar and comfortable oil-based economy and into the new one based on hydrogen. Hydrocarbon fuel reforming can facilitate this transition.
Technology that uses the existing oil-based infrastructure (gasoline and gas stations, natural gas and pipelines) to power fuel cells will make it easier for consumers to move to the new hydrogen-based technology. It will allow consumers to use a fuel source that is familiar and readily available and, at the same time, become accustomed to an entirely different energy source. Hydrocarbon fuel reforming also allows added time to create a hydrogen infrastructure.
Storage
We often take for granted how safely our vehicles can carry 400 miles worth of fuel and how easy it is to replenish that supply. Automotive researchers are looking for ways to make hydrogen tanks as space-efficient as gasoline tanks and as easy to refill. They are studying several different hydrogen storage systems: compressed, liquid and carbon nanostructure storage, and metal hydride.
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Cost
While the cost of fuel cell stacks has decreased tenfold in just three years, the price is still too high to gain commercial support for use in vehicles, homes and businesses. Fuel cells require precious metals for catalysts and expensive polymer membranes. Engineers continue to look for solutions in alternative applications, such as smaller amounts of catalysts and less costly polymer membranes.
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Infrastructure
The historical "de-carbonization" of energy supplies - from coal to oil to natural gas - has led logically to hydrogen, the most elementary and available fuel. Hydrogen's simple chemical structure results in fewer emissions. Put simply, fuel cell operation consists of oxygen and hydrogen in, pure water out. This removes pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and greenhouse gases from the equation.
Because hydrogen is the most abundant fuel, it can be refined from renewable energy sources, such as the sun, wind, water and biomass, as well as from traditional energy sources such as oil and natural gas.
By far the largest challenge to fuel cell commercialization is infrastructure.
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