Will Fuel Cells Work?
Fuel cells face many obstacles which scientists and industry must overcome before they can be widely introduced into marketplace. There is substantial motivation to solve these problems because fuel cells offer several advantages over other methods of power production. Then, the main question is: will fuel cells actually work? The answer has already been shown to be yes.
Fuel cells have been successfully delivering power to several prototypes and specialized applications for decades. The power output of a fuel cell stack is easily scalable to provide the right amount of electricity for a laptop computer, a small car, a city bus, or even utility generation. The designer simply has to select the right type of fuel cell for the application. Commercial fuel cell stacks are already coming to market. Today, consumers can buy a lightweight 1200 watt fuel cell stack from Ballard Power Systems, to produce electricity wherever there is a source of hydrogen.
The technical feasibility of putting fuel cells to work is no longer in question. The question now is whether or not they can be made affordable, reliable and be supplied with enough fuel.
Graph Courtesy of the Department of Energy.