It isn’t clear where current energy trends are going. Perhaps they may stabilize or as more and more people suggest the days of the carbon fuel fuel economy are quickly being done away with. Without CO2 based propulsion, researchers, businessmen, and engineers are on the look out for the next universal fuel. This fuel will be the first fuel in the age of the “clean fuel. ” Clean fuel refers to a non CO2 based fuel, which is renewable. The problem so far is that a universal fuel has yet to be found. Here are some of the possibilities: 1. Solar 2. Wind 3. Electric 4. Air 5. Hydrogen Solar Cars have long been the source of hope for green energy enthusiasts, mainly because the fuel is. . . free. The problem is that an efficient prototype available for mass markets has yet to be fully developed. There are some universities and other engineers working on workable solar car prototypes, but these prototypes have been relegated to the sphere of university projects despite the advances. Wind energy may not seem to be a good propulsion system for a car, but it is however a great source of primary energy to infuse the electric grid with. Wind Energy is a solid clean energy instead of carbon derived fuel, which is juicing up the grid now. This will truly move us into a purely clean fuel society. Electric Cars are not only a reality, but they are beginning to take the world by storm. Starting with Tesla and now others are beginning to jump on the band wagon. The sticking points in preventing mass consumption of electric cars have been a proper infrastructure to support the integration of electric stations and other support. This has begun to change recently as more and more smaller countries have begun to lay the foundations for turning over their carbon infrastructure to an electric one. Air Cars are another burgeoning possibility that has become very real in the last few years. They essentially work off of compressed air. The is released slowly, whose energy puts pressure on the pistons to propel the car. Air Cars are almost ready for the consumer market and when they are, they are assured of success. Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Cars have been around for a while, yet their technology has gotten to the point where they’re actually ready for the consumer market. Fuel-Cells are essentially a combination between an engine and a battery. Hydrogen is converted into energy using ions in the fuel cell. The energy is then used to power the vehicle. As with other clean fuels, hydrogen has a way to go since it lacks an infrastructure for refueling. Despite this, countries have been pushing forward with incentives and plans to build hydrogen stations. California has already done this as well as other areas of the world. Its not clear yet which clean fuel will be accepted as universal. Perhaps there won’t be a clear universal clean fuel, but rather a serious of choices built around regional and geographical situations.
Posts Tagged ‘Fuel’
The Clean Fuel Society
January 5th, 2010Hydrogen Fuel Cells-The Next Great Step In Fuel Saving Technology
January 4th, 2010The world in its run for progress and mechanization has almost exhausted all non-renewable energy sources that Mother Earth had provided. Global warming, depleted water sources and increased pollution have paused serious threat to the well-being of mankind. We are now looking desperately for renewable energy sources and alternate fuel. In our tryst the latest addition is hydrogen fuel cells. Developed as a part of the space program initially, more and more car manufacturers are now edging towards adopting Hydrogen Fuel Cells to power the cars.
What are Hydrogen Fuel Cells?
The hydrogen fuel cell is same as our battery cells except for the fact that in case of hydrogen fuel cells the power is produced only when hydrogen is fed to the fuel cell. The electricity produced in hydrogen fuel cell is dependent on the rate of Hydrogen flow to the cell and also on size of the hydrogen fuel cell.
What are the advantages of Hydrogen Fuel Cells?
Although along with electricity it produces heat and water, the hydrogen fuel cells produce a lot less heat than the traditional rod cells. Hydrogen fuel cells are a lot more efficient than the gasoline engines by about 20 to 30%.
These cells can be created in different sizes and as a result can be used to power smaller instruments like an MP3 player to factory buildings and towns.
For the automobile industries the biggest challenge today are its dependence on gasoline and the rate of pollution. Hydrogen fuel cells if used as internal combustion engines for cars can reduce the petroleum dependency and environmental pollution.
Not just for cars, hydrogen fuel cells can be used to power remote areas, provide electricity where roads have not yet been built and in general alleviate the living conditions. It can also be used as a portable source of energy.
It is estimated that hydrogen fuel cells may replace the traditional batteries all together in the next 50 to 100 years. If it has been successful in the space programs, it is quite evident that it will leave its mark in day-today life as well. Different government and environment agencies are also supporting the use of hydrogen fuel cells. However with all boons comes its accompanying bane. To produce hydrogen we need energy. Fossil fuels are widely used to produce that energy. Now as we all know fossil fuel too is a non-renewable energy source. So the need of the hour is a lot more research so that we can get hydrogen from a renewable energy source in order to power hydrogen fuel cells in generating electricity.
However there is no denying the fact that today we need such energy alternatives like hydrogen fuel cells that are customizable, can be used everywhere, can power anything from a small walkman to a town and the best of all reduces pollution and generated less heat. As we all know it is time that we do away with global warming!
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Explained – Reasons For Its Rising Popularity
January 4th, 2010A lot of talk has been going around in this country about use of alternative fuels and particularly a lot has been said about the hydrogen fuel that runs on hydrogen fuel cells. But do we have a clear understanding of how the hydrogen fuel cell works? Definition can be made very simple or on other hand it can be explained in a very complicated terminology . In the cell the conversion of chemicals namely oxygen and hydrogen into water happens in the fuel cell and in this process electricity is produced. A battery is a similar device that works on the electrochemical principle. A battery stores all its chemical inside its compartment and conversion of these chemicals happens inside resulting in the production of electricity. After the chemical inside finishes the battery stops producing electricity and is considered “dead”. Eventually it is either thrown or recharged.
Fuel Cell: Does it “die”
Unlike the battery, in case of fuel cell the cell never dies – as long as the flow of chemical is maintained in the cell, the fuel cell continues producing electricity . Oxygen and hydrogen are the most commonly used chemicals in the fuel cell. The end product of hydrogen fuel cell is water vapor and that is a big advantage. There are many types of fuel cell which has been produced; main among them is the polymer exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The department of energy is concentration on this type as it has the potential of being used for vehicle applications
The positive thing about PEMFC is that it has a high power density with relatively lower operating temperature (ranging from sixty to eighty degrees Celsius or 140-176 degrees Fahrenheit) . Due to its low operating temperature it doesn’t take much time for the fuel cell to warm up and start producing electricity. That is big plus point for PEMFC.
Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is another promising prospect that can be used for powering the vehicles. This is another type of fuel cell that has similar feature with regard to operating temperature. But they are relatively less efficient and are more expensive. This is due to the fact that DMFC requires a good quantity of platinum to act as a catalyst
Hydrogen Fuel Cell: An Emerging Technology
Hydrogen fuel is the new generation of alternative energy. This is due to the fact that hydrogen fuel cell burns cleanly and also runs efficiently . Thus the dreams and hopes of supporters of alternative fuel energy seems to be coming alive They can see a clean and an efficient vehicle that runs fantastic and has very low and safe emission .