Future of the World: Perfecting Fuel Cell Technology

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Concept definition
Perfecting Full Cell Technology: The Right way to face the Future
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Whereas the 19^th and 20^th centuries were characterized by significant innovations in the steam engine and internal combustion engines respectively, scholars and practitioners in relevant technology fields are now, more than ever before, united in their resolve that the 21^st century will be typified by the increased use of the fuel cell.

As a matter of principle, fuel cells are now on the threshold of being initiated commercially, revolutionizing the way we currently generate power and offering a real prospect of supplying the world with uncontaminated, sustainable electrical power which is free from the excesses of pollution (Cook, 2001). This paper reviews evidence why fuel cell technology should be perfected going into the future.

Concept definition

A fuel cell, according to Cook (2001), “…is an electrical cell, which unlike storage cells can be continuously fed with fuel so that the electrical power output is sustained indefinitely” (p. 1). This description implies that a fuel cell acts and resembles a normal dry- or wet-cell battery; however, it neither runs out of power nor requires routine recharging as long as fuel is supplied, which it uses to create electricity and heat without any combustion that would ordinarily result in pollution.

Conceivably, therefore, the fuel cell technology has the capacity to convert hydrogen or hydrogen-containing fuels into the much needed electrical energy and heat through approvingly simple and mechanically straight forward electrochemical processes that see hydrogen react with oxygen to form water (Nordin, 2010).

Perfecting Full Cell Technology: The Right way to face the Future

Hardly a day passes by without news of how mankind is continuously depleting scarce natural resources without due regard to present and future generations (Nordin, 2010), and the real dangers presented by global warming and elevated environmental degradation perpetrated by the increasing use of fossil fuels (Cook, 2001).

Currently, it can be argued that the perfection of fuel cell technology presents our best bet of addressing the issues emboldened by the increasing use of fossil fuels, including the depletion of natural resources and ensuing global environmental concerns such as global warming, erratic rainfall patterns and the greenhouse effect.

Recent technological trends have appreciably demonstrated that the fuel cell technology has the capacity to promise greater operational efficiency with extremely low emissions of environmental pollutants than most conventional power sources in use today (Curtis & Gangi, 2010; FuelCellToday, 2012).

Expanding on this discussion, extant literature demonstrates that the time is ripe for the perfection of fuel cells as they are efficient clean and quiet (Cook, 2001). In efficiency, fuel cells have the capacity to convert hydrogen and oxygen elements directly into electric energy and pure water without employing any combustion process, leading to the achievement of an efficiency level of between 50 and 60 percent. In normal circumstances, the efficiency level of an internal combustion engine using fossil fuels is below 30 percent (Nordin, 2010).

In cleanliness, it is important to note that a hydrogen-fuelled cell will only generate electrical energy and pure water, implying that such a fuel cell generates “…no emissions of sulphur dioxide, which can lead to acid rain, nor nitrogen oxides which produce smog, nor dust particulates” (Cook, 2001 p. 25). The NASA Space Shuttle Orbiter fuel cells produce efficient electric energy and enough clean water for use by the crew when the Shuttle is doing its missions in space.

Lastly, in quietness, it is worth noting that the fuel cell technology has the capacity to generate electric energy through silent means because the fuel cell itself has no moving components, implying that the technology should perfected for use in environments that demand serenity, tranquility, and quietness (Cook, 2001). Many hotels, resort clubs, court rooms and office suites demand serine environments, and the fuel cell technology is the natural choice for such environmental contexts due to its capacity to produce electrical power in relative silence.

Moving on, it is clear that the fuel cell technology should indeed be perfected due to its capacity for use in different contexts. Extant literature demonstrates that fuel cells can be effectively and efficiently used in diverse contexts, including transportation, distributed power generation, residential power and portable power (Cook, 2001).

Although fossil fuels can be used in all these contexts, they are neither sustainable nor efficient to use in the longer-term due to their adverse reactions to environmental conservation efforts, not mentioning that they are costly to manage. This viewpoint provides a valid case why stakeholders in the fuel cell industry should consider investing more heavily towards the realization of a perfect and sustainable fuel cell technology.

In a rather business sense, extant literature demonstrates that in today’s marketplace, organizations “…making or selling environmentally-conscious products and services are finding that consumers are responding” (Curtin & Gangi, 2010 p. 1).

In this perspective, companies using fuel cell technology to power their operations may in the long-term attract more customers than those using fossil fuels because they actively demonstrate their sustainability commitment and efforts to customers, members of staff, the local community and the world.

Additionally, such companies are more likely to benefit from millions of dollars in carbon credits for using environmentally friendly and sustainable power sources (Curtin & Gangi, 2010; U.S. Department of Energy, 2003). Indeed, many countries from the developing world are already benefiting from carbon credits given by developed countries and world bodies such as the United Nations.

This business model should be replicated in organizational settings, hence the need to perfect the fuel cell technology to provide global organizations with a framework through which they can actively preserve the environment from degradation.

Lastly, it is well known that “…fuel cells generate high quality electricity power which is extremely important for mission critical applications such as banking operations and data centers” (Curtin & Gangi, 2010). As postulated by these authors, many banking and data processing operations require a stable power supply free of the surges, spikes and outages that characterize fossil and hydro power sources, hence the need to perfect fuel cell technology due to its capacity to deliver this level of computer grade power.

Conclusion

Of course there exist several challenges that must be solved for fuel cell technology to be perfected, including high investment costs, inadequate level of mass-market acceptance, lack of sustainable infrastructure for the mass-market availability of hydrogen, shifts in government policy that could disrupt fuel cell and hydrogen technology development, as well as scarcity of platinum, which is a key component in fuel cells (Cook, 2001).

Stakeholders in the industry should find ways to surmount these challenges while being guided by a strong belief that as the demand for electrical power mounts as we progress into the future, it becomes increasingly urgent to come up with novel approaches aimed at fulfilling this demand both responsibly and safely.

Appreciably, perfecting fuel cell technology is one of the approaches that could be used to meet and possibly surpass our energy demands as we progress into the future.

References

Cook, B. (2001). An introduction to fuel cells and hydrogen technology. Web.

Curtin, S., & Gangi, J. (2010). The business case for fuel cells: Why top companies are purchasing fuel cells today. Fuel Cell 2000. Web.

FuelCellToday. (2012). Fuel cell electric vehicles: The road ahead. Web.

Nordin, N. (2010). Limitations of commercializing fuel cell technologies. AIP Conference Technologies , 1225(1), 498-506.

U.S. Department of Energy. (2003). Just the basics: Fuel cells. Web.

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