Advantages of Fuel Cells (FCs)

The thing that puts most sponsors off financing FC applications if the cost. However, there are several advantages that balances that and makes researching FCs a way to pave for a promising future. These are:

Efficiency: FCs are, in general, more efficient than combustion engines. Adding to that, small FC systems can be just as efficient as large ones.

Simplicity: since FCs have no or few moving parts, they are considered to have a simple and reliable design.

Low emissions: the only by-product of a FC is pure water, thus making them almost emission-less. That characteristic is specially well received in car engine applications, since there is an international trend to reduce emissions from cars.

Silence: since they have no or few moving parts, FCs tend to be very quiet during operation.

These advantages are particularly interesting in combined heat and power systems and on mobile power systems, like vehicles, portable computers, mobile telephones and military communications equipment.

Reference:

LARMINIE, James; DICKS, Andrew. Fuel Cell Systems Explained. 2. ed. West Sussex, England: Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2003. 418 p.

Comments

Photovoltaics: Band Diagram

In the previous post we discussed silicon, which is the most used material in photovoltaics. In this post, we introduce the band diagram, for which we will use silicon as an example. We will start our discussion of the band diagram with the Bohr model of the silicon atom. In semiconductor materials the outer shell of the atom, which is called the valence shell, is not completely filled. The outer shell of silicon contains 4 out of the possible 8 electrons, which we call valence electrons. As we discussed in the previous post, each silicon atom in a crystalline structure is bonded to four other silicon atoms. The bonds between the silicon atoms are called covalent bonds. These bonds actually consist of two valence electrons that are shared by two silicon atoms. All valence electrons are fixed in the lattice, forming covalent bonds, and are therefore immobile. However, at a temperature above absolute zero, thermal energy is supplied to these miconductor and some of the vale...

Environmental conservation must be a commitment of all

In the midst of the presidential race, historically, we have followed guidelines linked to environmental conservation placed in the background. The result of this stance are inoperative mandates regarding the gradual and uninterrupted degradation of our forests and natural resources. We need the elected candidates, both in the Executive and in the Legislative, to make real commitments to the preservation of our biodiversity, even though promises related to the environment do not attract so many votes. In view of the election of the National Electoral Council last month, the people's choices cannot depend on environmental issues alone, but also on the protection of our natural resources, the health of our environment and its environment, of our environment with respect to the people. Our objective is to create a culture of conservation, of environmental awareness, and of respecting the environment. Environmental awareness is a cornerstone of our campaign and is linked to envi...

Photovoltaics: Silicon

Welcome to this new post about semiconductor physics. Before we delve into all the important topics of semiconductor physics that are relevant to solar cells, we need to talk about silicon. Silicon is one of the most important materials when it comes to solar cells and we will be using it throughout this post series as an example for all the semiconductor concepts we will be going into. This will only be a short introduction to silicon, and there will be an extensive post series on silicon-based solar cells in the following course, Photovoltaic Technologies. Let’s start our discussion by looking at the reasons why silicon is the most used material for fabricating solar cells. The first successful silicon solar cell was fabricated in the Bell Laboratories in US in 1954. At present, the photovoltaic industry is dominated by silicon-based solar cells with 90%share of the market. Silicon is the most widespread material used for solar cells. But why is it that silicon is used so much?...

The Environmental Engineering Hub

Search This Blog