Future of Hydrogen Fuel Cells Essays -- Automobile Car Vehicle Energy

The Future of Hydrogen Fuel Cells The present global economy is nearly entirely dependent on petroleum and crude oil imports from the Middle East. Where the current situation stands now, oil prices will continue to skyrocket and the environmental impact will continue becoming greater if no form of alternative energy is implemented to a greater extent within the coming years. However, to this effect, the industrial cost of producing such forms of alternative energy is in itself primarily composed of coal and petroleum. In this light, I will investigate the practicality of hydrogen fuel cells based upon hydrogen consumption and exploitation. Hydrogen holds enormous promise for the future regarding alternative energy sources. To this point, its ability to be used in cars, weapons, and as miniature batteries has been demonstrated by many companies. However, if this is the case, hydrogen should be the leading supplier of power around the world. What prevents it from being so? With alternate energy sources becoming more and more necessary and desirable, not only does the future hold promise for a cleaner environment, but many companies and entrepreneurs have the potential to make billions of dollars should hydrogen, nuclear, or some other alternative source of energy become implemented worldwide. Let it first be understood the underlying principles of hydrogen power production in a fuel cell. There exist many hydrogen fuel cells being developed by multiple companies worldwide; however, the fuel cell showing the most promise as a future source of alternative power is the Polymer Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) and is widely regarded as a possible replacement for diesel and petroleum cars (http://www.fctec.com/fctec_types_pem... ...n production and subsequently, on the market. Thus, until the industrial cost for hydrogen fuel cells is reduced and its practicality increased, this renewable and abundant source of energy will remain on the smaller scale. Works Cited †¢ University of California, Irvine, "NFCRC Tutorial: Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell." NFCRC. 30 Jul 2008 . †¢ Rayment, Chris. "Introduction of Fuel Cell Technology." University of Notre Dame. 2 May 2003. University of Notre Dame. 30 Jul 2008 . †¢ "Hydrogen Fuel Cell." Georgia State University. Georgia State University. 30 Jul 2008 http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/thermo/electrol.html#c2. †¢ "How Fuel Cells Work." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com. 30 Jul 2008 . Future of Hydrogen Fuel Cells Essays -- Automobile Car Vehicle Energy The Future of Hydrogen Fuel Cells The present global economy is nearly entirely dependent on petroleum and crude oil imports from the Middle East. Where the current situation stands now, oil prices will continue to skyrocket and the environmental impact will continue becoming greater if no form of alternative energy is implemented to a greater extent within the coming years. However, to this effect, the industrial cost of producing such forms of alternative energy is in itself primarily composed of coal and petroleum. In this light, I will investigate the practicality of hydrogen fuel cells based upon hydrogen consumption and exploitation. Hydrogen holds enormous promise for the future regarding alternative energy sources. To this point, its ability to be used in cars, weapons, and as miniature batteries has been demonstrated by many companies. However, if this is the case, hydrogen should be the leading supplier of power around the world. What prevents it from being so? With alternate energy sources becoming more and more necessary and desirable, not only does the future hold promise for a cleaner environment, but many companies and entrepreneurs have the potential to make billions of dollars should hydrogen, nuclear, or some other alternative source of energy become implemented worldwide. Let it first be understood the underlying principles of hydrogen power production in a fuel cell. There exist many hydrogen fuel cells being developed by multiple companies worldwide; however, the fuel cell showing the most promise as a future source of alternative power is the Polymer Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) and is widely regarded as a possible replacement for diesel and petroleum cars (http://www.fctec.com/fctec_types_pem... ...n production and subsequently, on the market. Thus, until the industrial cost for hydrogen fuel cells is reduced and its practicality increased, this renewable and abundant source of energy will remain on the smaller scale. Works Cited †¢ University of California, Irvine, "NFCRC Tutorial: Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell." NFCRC. 30 Jul 2008 . †¢ Rayment, Chris. "Introduction of Fuel Cell Technology." University of Notre Dame. 2 May 2003. University of Notre Dame. 30 Jul 2008 . †¢ "Hydrogen Fuel Cell." Georgia State University. Georgia State University. 30 Jul 2008 http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/thermo/electrol.html#c2. †¢ "How Fuel Cells Work." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com. 30 Jul 2008 .