Is there a relationship between fuel cells and solar power? Yes. Fuel cell technology and solar technology are the perfect match. Fuel cells do one of two things: They either produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen, with a by-product of water (which you can drink, by the way); or they produce hydrogen and oxygen when electricity is supplied to them. The breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen is called electrolysis.
The following is a very likely future scenario. Solar panels will produce electricity for your house and will supply electricity to fuel cells for electrolysis. Electrolysis results when water is broken down into its hydrogen and oxygen components. During the night, the hydrogen is stored somewhere for use. In the evening when the sun sets, the fuel cells use the hydrogen to produce electricity all night. When the sun rises in the morning, the process repeats itself.Imagine going down to the basement and filling up your fuel cell with distilled water, fully aware that this is the fuel that will power your house. This day is not very far away.
To see how fuel cells work, click on the link below.
Let's talk aboutHydrogen Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and is the third most abundant element on earth. It is high in energy and burns very cleanly (although fuel cells do not burn it). It is 14 times lighter than air, so hydrogen dissipates quickly and always rises. For this reason there is no such thing as a hydrogen spill. For hydrogen ignition to occur it must have a fuel/air mixture ratio four times that of gasoline. In addition, Hydrogen will not "pool" like gasoline, so when it burns it burns upward without spreading on the ground. Research in the area of Hydrogen production, storage and distribution is on-going and the results are promising. Millennium Cell Inc. is one company that is in the forefront in this area and has trademarked the term "Hydrogen on Demand". For a quick look at this promising technology click on the link below.
