There is no denying the fact that invention of hydrogen fuel cell as an alternative fuel is great from environmental perspective but the question is about its execution . How does that work? It can be easily said that adopting hydrogen fuel is good for saving our environment and decrease global warming but saying and embracing the facts are two different ball games
Hydrogen fuel cell: It is environmental friendly
The hydrogen fuel cell is one of the cleanest burning fuels ever developed. Hydrogen is extracted from water and put into the fuel cell as gas and it can power the vehicles. In this process the only by product that is emitted out of the fuel cell is the water vapor. Thus this is a fact that hydrogen fuel cell are good for the environment . Hydrogen fuel cell basically acts like a world’s humidifier.
Hydrogen fuel Cell: The darker side
There are some drawbacks also with the hydrogen fuel cell. It is understood that only a completely efficient system can produce, store and transport the hydrogen with no unwanted emission of gases into the atmosphere. But achieving this will be very costly affair and after all this researchers also fear that 10-20% can still leak into the atmosphere. Thus if we estimate that hydrogen fuel cell will replace all the technology that uses oil and gas then such leakages would double or triple the total hydrogen content deposited in the atmosphere . Other research point out that when this hydrogen will reach the stratosphere hydrogen would be oxidized and this will make the stratosphere more cooler leading to more cloud formation. This will in turn delay the break up of polar vortex at the poles causing holes in the ozone layer to grow bigger and larger and long lasting . The rough estimate shows the depletion of ozone in north pole to be in the range of 5-8% in North pole and 3-7% in South pole . The correct depletion will depend on some unknown quantities. Also we know little about the soil absorption capacity of hydrogen from the atmosphere . It is believed that this process can compensate for all new anthropogenic emissions.
Despite all this drawbacks and concern the use of hydrogen fuel cell in the long run will be environmental friendly. If the only emission from these hydrogen fuel cell is water vapor then this is a huge plus over the toxic gases that are released into the atmosphere with the gasoline burning cars.
We find that though there are some disadvantages of hydrogen fuel cell but advantages out weigh those and the bottom line is that Hydrogen fuel cell have a positive effect on the atmosphere . So hydrogen fuel cell holds a good promise in future among the alternative fuel.
Posts Tagged ‘Revealed’
Hydrogen Fuel Cell – Advantages And Disadvantages Revealed
January 3rd, 2010Researching Fuel Cells – New Facts Revealed
December 13th, 2009Since the millenium, we have all been concerned about the “green” movement. One move is the new technologies that are coming out with the resarch into fuel cells, which is all about alternative fuels to power our car. Fuel cells produce an electric current – they are mechanical devices using hydrogen or hydrogen-containing fuel like methane. Fuel cells whilst being clean and quiet, they are highly efficient as sources of electricity. Extensive research by scientists shows much promise on some new fuel cells, which are smaller. The alternative fuel industry would benefit greatly from these.
President Bush announced the Hydrogen Fuel Initiave (HFI) program in 2003, as part of his State of the Union Address. Fully suported by legislation of the Energy Policy Act 2005 (EPACT 2005) and the Advanced Energy Initiative 2006 the aims are to develop fuel cell, hydrogen and infrastructure technologies in order to make the production of fuel-cell vehicles much more cost-effective and practical by the year 2020. Over one billion dollars has been dedicated by the United States towards the development and research into fuel cells up to now.
Inside a battery is where all of its chemicals are stored, which are converted into electricity. Once a battery loses all its power it becomes ‘dead’ so you either dispose of it, or if it is rechargeable, you put it in a charger to be powered up again. A fuel cell, however, never goes dead with a continuous flow of chemicals going into it, the electricity can flow out endlessly. Currently fuel cells use the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen. With the ongoing research into fuel cells, the focus is on making the fuel cells smaller and much more efficient. The production of alternative fuel vehicles is on the increase, so there is a demand for better energy sources, which will be seen in the future as information and technology advances. The first fuel cells that came out were large in size and unwieldy, but today are getting smaller and much more adaptable for the alternative fuel vehicle.
The fuel cell was introcuced to primarily reduce the amount of pollution. We are all aiming to do our best for the environment by becoming ‘greener’. By the comparisons into a fuel cell-powered car against a car powered by petrol or diesel and a car powered by battery, fuel cells can be seen to be more efficient and environmentally for motorists and their vehicles. Scientists are clearly devoted into spending as much time on research possible to bring about cleaner running, smaller sized engines.
Extensive fuel cell research is doing its part to reduce greenhouse gases into the air. A lot of funding is needed for research into fuel cells so that the future will see the majority of vehicles powered in this way, and less of the gas powered ones of today. Luckily, the government are now geared towards helping the research move more quickly, so the future of fuel cell powered cars could be nearer than we think!
