How will fuel cells change our lives?
457371
Fuels cells will allow us to creat energy without using fossil fuels and the waste it creates while processing these fuels. By combining oxygen and hydrogen effecitively, energy is created, with virtually no waste. Unlike fossil fuels, there is no limit to the the oxygen and hydrogen that surrounds us. The end result will be cleaner fuel without shortage of supplies and the cost of this will be more affordable to all. Fuel cells are currently being used and tested in space travel by NASA engineers. Fuel cells are the future! A bright one at that!
1045890
Its best to think of hydrogen as a 'battery' rather than a power source.  Because we don't have incredibly abundant supplies of free hydrogen on earth, it is not practical for use as an initial energy source.  You are also right in your assertion that it will always take at least as much energy to create hydrogen as we can get by using it, in accordance with the first law of thermodynamics.  \n\nHydrogen is, however, viable as an environmentally friendly fuel to operate vehicles.  This is because the conversion of hydrogen into energy is essentially pollution free and is of high efficiency.  Thus if we use an environmentally friendly power source, such as solar power, to produce the hydrogen, we can run vehicles in an essentially pollution free manner.  As a result, a switch to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles would allow reductions in the overall emissions of our national power production to be reflected in reduced total energy cycle emissions of our vehicles.
230301
Hydrogen is less efficient that oil right now but if we developed a more clean way of making it (like photobiosynthesis) it would be much better for the environment, and the switch has to start somewhere.\n\nIt is my opinion that it would be better for the environment if we just ran out of fuel, because people tend to destroy the planet when they have lots of energy, regardless of how clean the energy is. It's the greed that is bad for the environment, not the fuel. Hydrocarbons could actually be made to be very environmentally friendly if car and energy companies actually cared about environmental health more than stuffing their pockets with cash.
1133873
yes its possible. yes a few people have already done it.\n\nit takes 24 volts DC (2 car batteries) passed across a pair of platinum electrodes within a vessel of deionized water. you must exclude all air from the vessel prior to starting the process. also there must be a divider within the vessel so that when the hydrogen and oxygen separate (one gas type bubbles up from each electrode)\n\nnow you can compress the hydrogen and use it as fuel. (it takes 5 psi to run in a standard carberated engine)\n\nOR\n\nyou can store hydrogen in beryllium as it absorbs H2 readily at high pressures and releases H2 at low pressures for use with a fuel cell and because it is trapped in a block of metal no O2 can get to it to cause it to burn in storage.\n\nnow here is the problem with using this as a wide spread fuel.\nit takes more energy to create it than it puts out. unless you want to build a big solar array to convert a little water, it just doesn't fly.\n\nnow some people are working with collecting H2 emissions from some varieties of algae. now that looks promising.
812159
Depends.\nIt is a rather small amount if you're living in a developed country.\nHowever, if you are living in a developing country or less developed country, then it can change the standard of life quite dramatically.
328702
I don't believe this would make much of an impact. How about something else? Find alternatives. Participate in public transportation (or ask civic leaders to provide better public transportation). Vote for leaders who prioritize and value alternative, sustainable energies. Carpool, reduce your dependency on Gasoline. \n\nThere is an inequity between supply and Demand. Either the supply of fuel would have to be significantly and disproportionally increased (which won't happen) or people will have to start looking elsewhere for alternatives. Demand, in this situation, won't change without alternatives. The best way for people to help is to buy something else instead.
198671
Electrolysis. By applying electricity, you can break H2O into H2 and O2 gas.\n\n2H2O --> 2H2 + O2
1097157
Why are you asking the same question over and over again? I checked your profile for recently asked questions, and your latest 1 has been asked 5 times in a row. I understand you excitement about fuel from water, because quite frankly I feel the same way, given that we are so close to no longer needing to rely on fossil and nuclear and living fuels. We are so close to being able to reverse the damage we have done to this beautiful planet. We are so close to eliminating poverty, malnutrition and disease. We are so close to world peace, harmony and unity. Our job now is to first apply it to our own lives, demonstrating by example that it works and it's safe and cheap, and then help others to do the same. Telling people that it is available will not be nearly as effective as showing them by driving down the street in a car that everyone can see is running on water. spread the word BY acting as an example. In the words of Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world!" Blessed Be.
15266
I'm not sure about cars in our pockets, but nanotech is already happening, and yes it is changing our lives. In its simplest form, materials tailored at the nanolevel (a primitive nanotech) are already in stores. Nanomedicine, especially lab-on-a-chip technology is partially available and promises to revolutionize the way we do medicine. I don't know about some of the crazier promises (smart fog and such), but research at the nanoscale is changing our lives and will continue to do so.
661804
I believe that the introduction of cheap CF (carbon fiber) and the many design applications now underway will save fuel while improving everyday life.
1152403
A company called INI Power Systems (Cary, NC) makes a fuel cell with no membrane.  It uses two fluids that flow next to each other.  DUe to laminar flow, they don't mix significantly but still exchange ions as if there was a membrane there.
786369
Solar cells convert light into electricity.\n*\nFuel cells convert hydrogen into electricity. Except there's another step; there is no source of free hydrogen for fuel cells, so hydrogen must be 'made' by using electricity to separate hydrogen from water.\n*\nThis means that fuel cells are not a source of energy - rather they are a means of reclaiming stored energy, much like a battery.\n*\nThis is a principal difference. The solar cell provides essentially free energy. The fuel cell does not.
186874
If you ferment the biomass it will make methane. The remove the hydrogen from the methane? If you meant seawater, electrolysis will give you hydrogen and oxygen. A lot was manufactored in Norway since they had hydroelectricity to use.
85759
You are thinking of an electrolytic cell, not a fuel cell.\n\nA fuel cell works in the opposite way, taking Hydrogen and Oxygen gas and producing electricity and water.\nAn electrolytic cell takes electricity and splits water in to Hydrogen and Oxygen.\n\nThe electrodes in an electrolyitc cell can be any number of things, pretty much anything that will conduct electricty would work.  However, somethings work much better than others.  Platinum and gold are very inert metals and resist corrosion very well (unlike iron/steel for instance).  Carbon/graphite is a very popular and cheap electrode material in electroltic cells, but they eventually wear out.\n\nIn fuel cells, more specifically PEM fuel cells, platinum us used as a catalyst on a porous carbon electrode which is then connected to a Proten Exchange membrane which allows the passage of H+ ions but forces the electrons around through an electric circuit.  The Platinum is used on the electrodes because it acts as a catalyst to strip the Hydrogen atoms of their electrons from the Hydrogen gas molecules.
340221
Depends on what you mean by "new". There are lots of new sources in development, but nothing that is practical or economical yet. Hydrogen fuel cells are clean, efficient and non-polluting. But they are still very expensive and you still need a source of elemental hydrogen to make them work. \n\nOur best bet is hydrogen fusion - thais is what powers the sun. But we are still decades away from a successful commercial power plant. Until then, we are dependant on oil and natural gas.
1025413
Many organizations all chasing a pipe dream for the present for the sake of political correctness. They are developing vehicles which will have no pratical source of fuel or an infrastructure to store and deliver it. The only practical source of hydrogen is electrolosis which consume electric power. Given the existing emisions profile of US generating plants, producing the hydrogen will emit more pollutants than are saved with hydrogen fueld cars. How will we store and deliver it? The cart is being put before the horse!
716011
[1] Fusion Energy - unlimited power using Sea Water as fuel.\n[2] OLED Displays - Full size color computer screen you can roll up and put in your pocket. Wallpaper that illuminates your room.\n[3] Smart search engines - enter your question in English and you get the correct reply in English.\n[4] Real time translations of speech from one language to another.\n[5] Robots that move around just as we do and perform useful tasks.