Fuel cells – another
way to generate electricity
Solar panels are great at making electricity when the sun is shining, but we
use electricity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — even at night or when
the sun is hidden behind thick, dark rain clouds. We can and do use batteries
to store the energy from the sun, but there's another way to make electricity
that's getting a lot of attention right now — fuel cells.
Fuel cells are basically
hydrogen batteries. Instead
of using chemicals and materials
like those inside a "D" cell
in your flashlight, fuel cells
use hydrogen to make electricity.
Fuel cells are very efficient,
and they produce only water
as a by-product, so they are
friendly to the environment.
In fact, fuel cells can be
used almost anywhere, even
at the most remote locations
where power lines don't go
or mounted on cars, trucks
and buses to make low-emission
vehicles. Fuel cells are expensive,
but researchers and manufacturers
are doing their best to bring
down the costs now compared
to costs of conventional power
generation.
There's a lot to know about
fuel cells. If you're in grades
4 - 12, you can learn more
about fuel cells and hydrogen
in the Intermediate and Secondary
Energy Infobooks (PDF format).
If you'd like to learn more
about fuel cells from someone
who is designing and building
them, visit the Web site of
German fuel cell maker Heliocentris
GmbH or send an e-mail to
Henrik Colell and Brian Cook,
two guys working for Heliocentris
who helped write this section.
If you'd like to get some
hands-on experience with fuel
cells, Heliocentris has created
an educational kit with a fuel
cell and experiments for the
classroom. For more information
on the kit, visit the Web site
of U.S. distributor Frey
Scientific or send an e-mail.
If you're in grade 8 or higher, click
here to learn more about
fuel cells and our energy
future.
