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Fuel Cells
Tracking technology advancements to market-ready
products, featuring those systems that are the most clean and cost-effective.
Page Contents
What is it Overview
News Marketplace
(Commercial Application | For
Sale | Toys | Pending
| Resources) Cutting
Edge Research (Thin Film
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) Kits Misc.
Articles Educational
Opportunities See also
See also: Fuel
Cells - index at PESWiki
"In principle, a fuel cell operates like a battery. It supplies
electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen electrochemically without
combustion. Unlike a battery, a fuel cell does not run down or require
recharging. It will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat as long
as fuel is supplied. The only waste is pure, drinkable water. A fuel cell
consists of two electrodes sandwiched around an electrolyte. Oxygen passes
over one electrode and hydrogen over the other, generating electricity, water,
and heat."
http://www.coolsciencestuff.com/Fuelcells.html
Image of
fuel cell courtesy of www.hq.nasa.gov
- Micro
Fuel Cell Technology - Micro fuel cell power output is
generally less than 5W. Although energy density levels of micro fuel
cells have been on the rise even as their size continues to shrink,
certain technological challenges remain, including heat removal,
further miniaturization, efficiency, product issues, and methanol
crossover. (Energy Business Reports; Sept. 28, 2007)
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- Worldwide
Fuel Cell Installations - Free report
(pdf) on 2000 units (number, not year) provides comprehensive listing
of each fuel cell manufacturer, location, fuel cell size, fuel type,
operating information and pictures, and availability. Charts and
interactive maps included. (Renewable Energy Access; Aug.
25, 2005)
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- Fuel Cells for Power
- List of companies that
produce commercially available fuel cells that are ready for insertion
into real world applications.
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- Ballard.com -
specializes in bringing fuel cell technologies to market. Inventor and
investment opportunities.
- CleanFuelCellEnergy.com
- Provides fuel cell information, gifts, MEAs, catalysts, membranes,
fuel cell stacks and other fuel cell related items; for the research
novice to scientists.
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Ballard-powered
Fuel Cell Buses Surpass 1 M km Mark
Ballard Power Systems' fleet of 33 Mercedes-Benz Citaro fuel cell buses
currently operating in Europe, Iceland and Australia has surpassed one
million kilometers of service. The buses have carrie... (Renewable
Energy Access; Nov. 2005)
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- UPS
Hits the Hydrogen Highway - United Parcel Service (UPS) road
testing three Dodge Sprinters, a medium-duty fuel cell vehicle
manufactured by DaimlerChrysler. (Solar Access; Sept. 2, 2004)
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- Hydrogenics
Fuel Cells (http://hydrogenics.com)
- Archive feature on Toronto company and the field of fuel cells in
general. Predicts that 21st century will be "the century of the
fuel cell" as the 20th century was of the combustion engine.
(DiscoveryChannel.ca; March 5, 2003)
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- FuelCellStore.com
- has worlds first indoor fuel cell generator for sale. Size of
a mini-fridge, the AirGen
provides 1 kw for 8 hours on tank of hydrogen; emits only water vapor
and heat.
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- The Fuel Cell
Marketplace - fuel cell opportunities, products, industry directory,
news & more; weekly newsletter, latest business and tech news,
independent analysis.
- World's
Smallest Direct Methanol Fuel Cell - Toshiba says its DMFC can power
an MP3 player for 20 hours on 2 cc's of methanol (you'd carry around a small
recharging bottle, something similar to a cigarette lighter refill). (PC
World, Japan - Sept. 7, 2004)
- Anuva -
Existing products with fuel cell technology integrated include 6 kW
generator; vehicles, boats, busses. Will also design to
application.
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- Chinese
company starts small with hydrogen-powered car -
Mass-producing affordable hydrogen-powered cars that spew just clean
water from their tailpipes just began on a miniature scale with
Shanghai's Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies tiny hydrogen fuel-cell car,
complete with its own miniature solar-powered refueling station.
$80.00 (Detroit Free Press; July 22, 2006)
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Fuel Cell Products Soon to hit
the Market
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Mobile
Fuel Cells Soon?
Motorola has made a strategic investment in Vancouver based, micro fuel
cell developer Tekion with a view to the inevitable rise of the fuel
cell as a power source for mobile products. (Slashdot; Nov. 2005)
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- Fuel
Cell Brings Heat and Power to British Homes - British Gas is working
on a commercial development program with Ceres
Power to provide domestic boilers, powered by natural-gas-operated fuel
cells, that produce electricity as well as heat, while reducing energy bills
and CO2 emissions. (Renewable Energy Access; Aug.
18, 2005)
- Mercedes
F600 Hygenius is more than a fuel cell concept - The fuel cell
in the F 600 HYGENIUS is around 40 per cent more compact than
previously, runs more efficiently than ever and is notable for its
good cold-start characteristics. Commercial production expected some
time between 2012 and 2015. (Autoblog; Oct. 12, 2005)
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- DaimlerChrysler
Grows Fuel Cell Vehicle Fleet - DaimlerChrysler will be
testing two F-Cell passenger cars in daily use. It has a range
of approximately 100 miles and a top speed of 85 mph. The electric
motor develops 88 hp (65 kW), enabling acceleration from 0 to 60 mph
in 14 seconds. (Renewable Energy Access; Sept. 15, 2005)
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- Hydrogen
Fuel Cells Power Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - Georgia Institute
of Technology researchers have conducted successful test flights of a
hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft believed to be the largest to fly
on a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell using compressed
hydrogen. (NewsWise; Aug. 28, 2006)
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- The
660 Gallon Brewery Fuel Cell - This fuel cell type is
essentially a battery in which bacteria consume water-soluble brewing
waste such as sugar, starch and alcohol, plus in this instance
produces clean water. "Its primarily a waste water
treatment that has the added benefit of creating
electricity." (YahooNews; May 2, 2007) (Also Slashdot,
PhysOrg, CBS
News)
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ENV Fuel Cell Motor
Colour
of EN-V - World's most compact
hydrogen fuel cell bike, with zero emissions. Speed: 80 mph;
range: 100 miles; 0-60 in 12 sec; 6 kW fuel cell can be removed for
other power generation uses. 1 year to market. (DiscoveryChannel.ca;
March 28, 2005)
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Other Devices Soon to Hit the Market
- Water-Powered
Cell Phones - Samsung has developed a micro-fuel cell and
hydrogen generator that runs on H20. A metal catalyst and water in the
unit react to produce hydrogen gas, which is then supplied to
the fuel cell for energy production. (Chosun; Oct. 12, 2007)
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GM's Fuel Cell Volt Hybrid - General Motors unveiled a hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered version of its Chevrolet Volt concept, a family of electric cars that get a portion of their energy from being plugged into the electrical grid. The first
version married plug-in electric drive to a gasoline or ethanol generator that can recharge the battery.
(MIT Technology Review; Apr. 23, 2007)
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'Er Up With Hydrogen? - General Motors and
DaimlerChrysler have signed agreements with the Energy Department to develop
hydrogen fuel cell cars over the next five years. (CBS; March 31,
2005)
- Ford
Focus FCV-Hybrid - High selling Ford Focus now has fuel
cell counterpart, combined with hybrid, for fleet purchase only. (CarList;
Sept. 25, 2004)
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- Fuel cell
prototype for Thinkpad notebooks - IBM and SANYO have unveiled
plans for a prototype micro direct methanol fuel cell system that could
supply up to 8 hours of power per cartridge on present and future ThinkPad
models. (PhysOrg; April 11, 2005)
- Eco-friendly
fuel cells ready for home use - A co-generation fuel cell now
used in a model house in Tokyo consists of two devices: One resembles the
outdoor component of an air conditioner; the other, a tall narrow storage
room. The tank has a capacity for 200 liters of hot water; the smaller unit
is a miniature power station. (Fuel Cell Works;
Feb. 21, 2005)
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- Small
Fuel Cell Ready for Commercialization - Materials and Energy
Research Institute Tokyo has developed one of the smallest fuel cells ever,
which can allegedly operate a notebook computer twice as long as lithium ion
batteries at room temperature. (FinanceAsia.com;
Sept. 17, 2004)
- Fuel
Cell Tributes - Review of industry progress toward fuel cell
powered vehicles. (Business Standard; July 17, 2004)
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- MTI
demonstrates latest fuel cell for cell phones, PDAs - Will
last two to 10 times longer than existing batteries. First product shipment
planned for the industrial market this year. (BizJournals.com; June
21, 2004)
- Nanosys,
Sharp to develop nanotechnology-enabled fuel cells - Agreement to
collaborate with Sharp to utilize its nanostructure technology to help
develop high performance fuel cells for use in portable consumer
electronics. (PhisOrg; Jan. 21, 2005)
- Fuel
Cell Phones - Japan's largest wireless phone carrier, NTT DoCoMo,
plans to introduce cell phones powered by miniature fuel cells -- which run
on hydrogen or methanol -- late next year. Look for them to also show up as
expensive add-ons for high-end laptops. (CNN "Ten
Technologies to Watch in 2004" Dec. 31, 2003)
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- Waste
Water Plus Bacteria Make Hydrogen Fuel - Bacteria that feed on
vinegar and waste water zapped with a shot of electricity could
produce a clean hydrogen fuel to power vehicles that now run on
petroleum. These microbial fuel cells can turn almost any
biodegradable organic material into zero-emission hydrogen gas fuel. (PESWiki;
Nov. 12, 2007)
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- Fuel cells gearing up to power auto industry
- A research team at the University of Houston have created a catalyst that
uses less platinum, making it at least four times and up to six times
more efficient and cheaper than existing catalysts at comparable power
levels, leading the way to economical vehicle applications. (PhysOrg;
Oct. 30, 2007)
- Scientists discover new way to make water
- Scientists at the University of Illinois have discovered a new way to make water, and without the pop. Not only can they make water from unlikely starting materials, such as alcohols, their work could also lead to better catalysts and less expensive fuel cells.
(PhysOrg; Oct. 31, 2007)
- Japan's Daihatsu Motor touts new fuel cell technology
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Daihatsu Motor Co., a unit of Toyota, is developing a new fuel cell technology using hydrazine hydrate, liquid fuel for rocket which completely eliminates the need for platinum in the electrode.
Benefits include lower cost, high output, and safe and easy fuel handling.
(PhysOrg; Sept. 14, 2007)
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- Practical Fuel Cells for Electronics
- A novel design could allow laptops to run 5 to 10 times longer.
The new scheme for creating a compact device that efficiently converts methanol into hydrogen could make it practical to incorporate fuel cells into laptop computers and other portable electronics.
(Technology Review; Aug. 27, 2007)
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- Less expensive fuel
cell may be possible - Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory
have developed a new class of hydrogen fuel-cell catalysts that exhibit
promising activity and stability. The catalysts are made of low-cost
nonprecious metals entrapped in something called a heteroatomic-polymer
structure, instead of platinum materials typically used in fuel cells. (PhysOrg;
Oct. 3, 2006)
- 'MRI'
For Fuel Cells - A research team at Northwestern University,
has produced the first three-dimensional images of the interior of a
fuel cell -- providing a new tool for the study and development of
fuel cells. (ScienceDaily; June 18, 2006)
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- Carbon
Conversion Fuel Cell - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
among others, is developing a method of turning carbon directly into
electricity. (PESWiki)
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- Fuel
cell that runs on blood - A Japanese research team at Tohoku
University has developed a fuel cell that runs on blood without using toxic
substances, opening the way for use in artificial hearts and other organs. (Gulf
Times; May 14, 2005)
- Scientists
to develop bacteria-powered fuel cells - Researchers are
joining forces to create bacteria-powered fuel cells that could power spy
drones that fit in the palm of a hand. Organism is capable of passing
electrons directly to solid metal oxides. (PhysOrg; Mar. 15, 2006)
- Ammonia
Cracker for Fuel Cell Hydrogen Supply - ZAP and Apollo
Energy's proprietary method produces H-on-demand from onboard ammonia.
Touted as inexpensive, zero-emission power source to jump-start the
hydrogen economy. (PESN; May 24, 2005)
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- Thin Film Solid
Oxide Fuel Cell - Breakthrough in thin film SOFCs enables more
efficient (65%) and compact energy generation capacity. A unit the
size of two cans of soda would produce more than 5 kW, enough to power
a typical household.
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- Grape
Offers Biofuel Potential - Scientists from the University of Texas
at Austin have managed to produce electricity inside a single grape --
perhaps the smallest membrane-less fuel cell ever. The technology could lead
energy devices that could be implanted in the human body. (Fuel
Cell Today; Sept. 27, 2005)
- Fuel
cell runs on charcoal - University of Hawaii researcher
Michael Antal has developed a working fuel cell that uses charcoal in
an alkali solution as its fuel and operates at bread-baking
temperatures. (Fuel Cells Works; Feb. 25) (Thanks KeelyNet)
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- Miniaturization
of Fuel Cells Improves Prospects of Technology Commercialization -
To create a compelling microfuel cell technology, scientists have to look at
providing power densities that are comparable to that of conventional or
rechargeable batteries. Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), a popular fuel
cell technology, only provides power density in the range of 20 to 50 mille
watts per square cm (mW/cm2). (PhysOrg; Sept. 29, 2005)
- Fuel
cell converts waste to power - Gold nanotubes used to catalyze
a chemical reaction that extracts energy from fuel cell waste product
carbon monoxide. The method could eventually be used in portable
systems that use renewable fuel produced from plant matter. (Technology
Research News; Sept. 22/29, 2004)
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- Microbial
Fuel Cells Eye Market - An environmental engineer at
Washington University in St. Louis has created a device similar to a
hydrogen fuel cell that uses bacteria to treat wastewater and create
electricity. Their chambers are on top of one another rather
than side by side. (PhysOrg; July 8, 2005)
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- Tests
Qualify Fuel Cell Stack Viability - Fuel cell development company
Nuvera Fuel Cells announced what it calls "significant milestones"
toward commercial viability during recent qualification tests conducted on a
new fuel cell stack designed for passenger vehicles. (Renewable Energy
Access; Aug. 12, 2005)
- New way of
making fuel cells using Microfabrication lowers costs - Researchers
at the U. of Michigan are arriving at a system that works and uses steps
that are very similar to those used to make microelectronic devices. (PhysOrg;
Jan. 18, 2005)
- Biofuel
cells select for microbial consortia that self-mediate electron transfer
- Study elucidates whether a bacterial community, either suspended or
attached to an electrode, can evolve in a microbial fuel cell to bring about
higher power output, and looks for species responsible for the electricity
generation." (FuelCellsWork; Nov. 11, 2004)
- FuelCell
Energy Unit to Operate on Anaerobic Digester Gas - 250-kilowatt
Direct FuelCell(R) power plant to operate on anaerobic digester gas from a
food recycling facility at the Tokyo "Super Eco Town". (Fuel
Cell Today; Nov. 18, 2004)
- Most
Important Fuel Cell Breakthrough In Decades? - Researchers in the UK
have announced the creation of an Iron/Sulfur catalyst to be used to speed
up the chemical reactions in fuel cells or electrolysis cells. (H2O Power;
March 6, 2005)
- Membraneless
fuel cell is tiny, versatile - A fuel cell designed by researchers
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign can operate without a
solid membrane separating fuel and oxidant, and functions with alkaline
chemistry in addition to the more common acidic chemistry. (PhysOrg;
March 23, 2005)
- UK
firm claims breakthrough in fuel cell technology - Cambridge-based
CMR Fuel Cells claims a new design that is a tenth of the size of existing
models and small enough to replace conventional batteries in laptop
computers. (Reuters; May 19, 2005)
- Researchers
float dry fuel cells for mobile apps - Recent developments at
UltraCell Corp., Purdue University and the Georgia Institute of Technology
are encouraging speculation that mini fuel cells may emerge as a rival to
the battery in the next few years. (EETimes; Aug. 29, 2005)
 Clarification
on Student's Hydrogen Car - Micah Hinton did not design the car, but
bought it as a kit.
It employs a clever "reversible fuel cell" principle which uses
the FC to either generate electricity from H and O or to produce H and O
from electricity supplied by a solar cell. (PESN; May 13, 2005)
Index created by Sterling
D. Allan, Sept. 23, 2003
Last updated December 22, 2007
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