Introduction to Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies and Their Contribution to a Sustainable Energy Future

Chapter
First Online:
Part of the Integrated Science & Technology Program book series (ISTP, volume 2)

Abstract

Research and development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are motivated by the same drivers as for other new energy production/conversion/storage options, in particular the increase in greenhouse gas emissions and in sea and land mass temperatures, and peaking of oil production capacity and the technical difficulties and safety issues associated with extracting oil from offshore deep drilling below the seabed, which together lead towards a global requirement for use of lower fossil carbon energy sources. In this context, this chapter outlines actual and potential roles for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. It provides a short historical perspective of fuel cells and describes fuel cell types and their applications, in particular automotive and stationary fuel cell uses. Directions in fuel cell materials research on electrocatalysts and their supports and electrolyte membranes are described in a final section.

Keywords

Electrolysis Energy conversion Fuel cell Hydrogen 

List of Acronyms

AFC

Alkaline fuel cell

CO

Carbon monoxide

CO2

Carbon dioxide

DLR

Deutsche Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Centre)

e-

Symbol of electron

EU

European Union

EUCAR

European Council for Automotive R&D

FCHV

Fuel cell hydrogen vehicle

FCV

Fuel cell vehicle

Fe/N/C

Iron, nitrogen, carbon catalyst

H+

Proton (hydrogen nucleus)

H2

Hydrogen molecule

HOPG

Highly oriented pyrolytic graphite

Hyfleet CUTE

This is a European project comparing the advantages and disadvantages of hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE) buses with fuel cell buses. CUTE stands for Clean Urban Transport for Europe and the goal of the project is to test and demonstrate hydrogen buses in 10 different cities in Europe, Asia, and Australia to reduce CO2 emissions and move away from fossil fuels.

IPCC

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

IPHE

International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy.

kW

Kilowatt (SI power unit)

mb/d

Million barrels per day

MCFC

Molten carbonate fuel cell

MEA

Membrane electrode assembly

OPEC

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

PAFC

Phosphoric acid fuel cell

PCFC

Proton ceramic fuel cell

PEM

Polymer electrolyte membrane

PEMFC

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells, also known as polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC)

PFSA

Perfluorosulfonic acid

Pt/M

Alloy of platinium with a metal (M)

Pt

Symbol of platinum

PURE

Promoting Unst Renewable Energy (Unst is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland)

SI

Système International d’unités (International System of units)

SOFC

Solid oxide fuel cell

WHFS

Worldwide hydrogen fueling stations

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Notes

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Surya Subianto for his assistance with the graphics of this chapter. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2010-2013) under the call ENERGY-2010-10.2-1: Future Emerging Technologies for Energy Applications (FET) under contract 256821 QuasiDry.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR CNRS 5253Université Montpellier 2Montpellier, Cedex 5France

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