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Solar hydrogen fuell cell

What is a fuel cell?y A source of energy that could dramatically reduce both pollution and the amount of oil

imports.y A power supply that is so clean, quiet and safe it could be located in your house.y A device with no moving parts that could supply electricity to everything from energy utilities,

to a car, to a computer.What are the benefits of fuel cells?

y Reduction in reliance on foreign oil imports.y Increase in number of skilled job openings.y Fuel cells create energy without emitting pollution. A fuel cell's by-products are heat and

water. The U.S Department of Energy estimates that if just 10 percent of vehicles were run byfuel cells, air pollution would be cut by one million tons per year.

y Fuel cells are practically silent - especially compared to noisy generators.y There are no moving parts to wear out.y Fuel cells use hydrogen, which is non-toxic, efficient, versatile and renewable. Hydrogen can

be mass-produced in a number of ways, such as capturing and reforming waste gases atlandfills and wastewater treatment plants.

y Fuel cells are much more efficient than other forms of power.What is the history of fuel cell technology?Fuel cell technology is not new. If began when Hydrogen was discovered in 1776 by HenryCavendish, when he dissolved metals into dilute acids. The first fuel cell was invented in 1839 by SirWilliam Grove. Since then, fuel cells have been part of the space shuttles, both as a power and watersource. Today, fuel cell technology is on the verge of becoming part of the mass market, in cars,homes and hand-held devices.How does a fuel cell work?In a fuel cell, chemical energy (in the form of hydrogen and oxygen) is converted directly (withoutcombustion) into electrical energy. A fuel cell consists of a cathode, an electrode and an anode.Hydrogen is fed in to the anode, where it is split into protons and electrons. The protons and electronstake different routes to the cathode. The protons move through the electrode to the cathode, while theelectrons pass around the fuel cell to get to the cathode. This movement creates usable electricalenergy. At the other side, the hydrogen protons and electrons combine with oxygen, forming water.How does an electrolyzer work?Electrolyzers are one way of extracting hydrogen from water. The process is basically the opposite ofhow a fuel cell works. An electrolyzer is made up of an anode, electrochemical cell and a cathode.Water and voltage is applied to the anode, which splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen. The

hydrogen passes through the electrochemical cell to the cathode, while the oxygen travels around thecell. From there, the hydrogen and oxygen gases can be captured and stored. When electricity isrequired, the gases can be pulled from storage and routed through a fuel cell.How safe are fuel cells?As fuel cells use hydrogen, there have been many myths about its safety. The Hindenburg explosionis one incident that caused many to believe hydrogen was dangerous. However, recent studies haveshown that the Hindenburg tragedy was due to the type of material used in its construction, ratherthan the hydrogen it held inside.

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Other countries are actively promoting fuel cell research and development with tax credits, low-interest loans and grants. Toyota, Daimler-Benz and Ballard are also making large investments anddevelopments in the fuel cell industry.Who is involved in this technology now?Automotive companies such as DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagon.Energy companies such as BP, Chevron-Texaco, Exxon-Mobil and Shell.Government Entities such as U.S. D.O.E., U.S. D.O.T., California Air Resources and CaliforniaEnergy Commission.What does SolarHydrogen Systems do?Solar Hydrogen Systems is a family-owned, Alaska-based business. We are a distributor of H-TECeducational and industrial fuel cell products for North America.

What is a solar hydrogen system?A solar hydrogen system is a completely renewable, self-sustaining energy system. It uses theelectrolysis and fuel cell processes described above, and also incorporates the use of renewablepower, such as sunlight, wind or water to power the processes.