Uses for Fuel Cells

The following include existing and planned uses for hydrogen cells. There may be other uses we have not yet discovered.

• Use of Hydrogen Talks about hydrogen use in industrial use, space travel, electricity production, and for powering vehicles.

• 3 Emerging Fuel Cell Technologies You Should Know About

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Energy Production

Backup Generators

Primary Power

Ships & Boats

"DOE recently released the results of a maritime fuel cell project—the first ever hydrogen fuel cell power generator used onboard a ship. The 100 kilowatt generator, with 72 kilograms of hydrogen storage, was designed and built with safety and regulatory reviews by the Hydrogen Safety Panel, U.S. Coast Guard, and the American Bureau of Shipping. Project partners operated the ship’s generator for 10 months, powering refrigerated containers in Honolulu, Hawaii. The project showed that it is possible to increase energy efficiency of the ship by up to 30% at part load and eliminate emissions through the use of hydrogen fuel cells. The project also identified paths forward to wider adoption of the technology in the maritime sector."  - 3 Emerging Fuel Cell Technologies You Should Know About

Space Travel

Resources

Educational

• Fuel Cell Basics This resource offers schematics and gifs to help demonstrate how fuel cells work. The page explains Alkali, Molten Carbonate fuel cells (MCFC), Phosphoric Acid fuel cells (PAFC), Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM), and Solid Oxide fuel cells (SOFC).

Unsorted Info

• Fuel Cells "A fuel cell uses the chemical energy of hydrogen or other fuels to cleanly and efficiently produce electricity. If hydrogen is the fuel, the only products are electricity, water, and heat. Fuel cells are unique in terms of the variety of their potential applications; they can use a wide range of fuels and feedstocks and can provide power for systems as large as a utility power station and as small as a laptop computer."

• Hydrogen Fuel Cells This page explains the many different ways to produce hydrogen and the colour coding system used to differentiate between the energy sources.

• Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership: Resources Includes many resources including lesson plans, posters, maps, a station list for California, guides, roadmaps for various countries and regions, transition and strategy plans, etc.

• Hydrogen Stations This page includes images and explanations of hydrogen station types, equipment, safety, and functions. 

• Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles & Hydrogen Fuel See currently available vehicles for consumers and businesses.

• Simulate the Change (Interactive calculator) "Discover how you can reduce your CO2 emissions by switching to green hydrogen and start your hydrogen project."

• What Role Will Fuel Cells Play in Our Alternative Energy Future? This page talks about the reliability, quietness, lack of vibrations, high efficiency and other metrics of comparison between fuel cell technology compared to current fuel sources.

• Zero Emission Bus Interactive and educational website.

Organizations

Europe

• Clean Hydrogen Partnership " is a unique public private partnership supporting research and innovation (R&I) activities in hydrogen technologies in Europe."

North America

USA 

• Hydrogen Forward "is a coalition of companies and organizations across the hydrogen value chain that are working to ensure hydrogen is a key contributing solution in the energy transition. The coalition works in concert with allies across industries and sectors to educate decisionmakers and stakeholders on the value hydrogen delivers today and the important role that it should play in our future."

• NREL "NREL's fuel cell research aims to lower the cost and improve the performance and durability of fuel cell technologies.
  Research is performed on a variety of fuel cell types—polymer electrolyte membrane (PEMFC), alkaline membrane (AMFC), and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC)—which are generally differentiated by the fuel used."

California

• California Hydrogen Business Council "is a membership-based trade association comprised of over 135 companies, agencies, and individuals involved in the business of hydrogen. The CHBC is the leading advocate for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry in Sacramento. Our mission is to educate the public and policymakers on the substantial benefits of hydrogen and to develop and advance policy positions that support the commercialization of hydrogen in the energy and transportation sectors to achieve California’s climate, air quality, and decarbonization goals."

Maps

International

• Buses & Trucks (International Map) "Every FCEB put into service in the U.S. could reduce the carbon released into the atmosphere by 100 tons annually and eliminate the need for 9,000 gallons of fuel every year over the life of the vehicle. For buses running on diesel fuel, that translates into a savings of more than $37,000 per year, per vehicle."

• Lhyfe: H2 refuelling stations (Interactive) "We have mapped out existing hydrogen refuelling stations to help you with switching your project to hydrogen." Use the options menu to view public and/or private charging stations, planned vs existing, etc.

Education & Career Opportunities

Companies Offering Fuel Cell Technology & Hydrogen Infrastructure

Directory

The following offers a wider variety of companies than listed on this page.

• Lhyfe: H2 Companies "We have displayed some of the companies selling hydrogen products to ease your switch to green renewable hydrogen."

"Eco-System" Builders

• H2 Clipper, Inc. "H2C delivers clean hydrogen anywhere in the world via the most effective, lowest cost, and safest, end-to-end hydrogen transport and distribution system in the world."

• Plug Power "is building an end-to-end green hydrogen ecosystem — from production, storage and delivery to energy generation — to help customers meet their business goals and decarbonize the economy."

Fuel Cells

• Ballard provides fuel cells for sustainable transit, world wide. They offer solutions for marine, stationary, rail, buses, trucking, and more. 

• Bloom Energy’s Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) "have been deployed in 100s of applications across healthcare, data centers, critical manufacturing, retailers and more. The same proven fuel cell technology that has powered our natural gas fleet is being used to generate combustion-free, emissions-free and carbon-free electricity from hydrogen. The technology enables highly efficient, distributed power generation with the same focus on reliability that Bloom has demonstrated over the last 15 years."

• IRD Fuel Cells "we are devoted to production of fuel cell components." They have worked in Europe, North America, and China.

• Plug Power "is building an end-to-end green hydrogen ecosystem — from production, storage and delivery to energy generation — to help customers meet their business goals and decarbonize the economy."

• Mitsubishi Power: Hybrid System of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) and Micro Gas Turbines (MGT) "Power generating system with multi-use capabilities for various fuels including natural gas, biogas and hydrogen."

Systems Support, Testing, Etc.

• Cummings "We’re continuously assisting fuel cell programs around the world with equipment, testing and implementation, and systems integration. Our low-pressure, non-humidified cell power modules deliver unrivaled reliability, fuel efficiency, quiet operation, and easy maintenance."

• Plug Power "is building an end-to-end green hydrogen ecosystem — from production, storage and delivery to energy generation — to help customers meet their business goals and decarbonize the economy."

Parts

• FuelCellsEtc "is the leading custom fuel cell component manufacturer. We specialize in manufacturing high-performance, custom fuel cell and electrolyzer components for OEMs, researchers and educators around the world. We pride ourselves on our industry-leading customer service and lead times. Our production happens at our College Station, Texas manufacturing facility. All our finished goods are proudly Made-in-America with the highest quality and unparalleled performance.  FuelCellsEtc’s primary products include Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs), Catalyst Coated Membranes (CCMs) and Gas Diffusion Electrodes (GDEs) for a wide variety of fuel cell and electrolyzer applications. Two decades of experience make us one of the top manufacturers of MEAs, CCMs and GDEs in the world. We offer more than 100 catalysts, 130+ gas diffusion layers and 140+ membranes.
  
  If you have an idea for a custom fuel cell or electrolyzer component, reach out to our team and we will be happy to work with you!"

• Mott "works with multiple fuel cell manufacturers to achieve optimal mass transfer, ohmic resistance, and activation polarization from their gas diffusion layers.  We customize our porous metal sheet to various thicknesses and porosity to deliver the best results in terms of permeability and conductivity.  Titanium is available for typical fuel cell applications.  430 stainless steel and nickel 200 are available for solid oxide fuel cells.  Specialty alloys, such as niobium and zirconium, can be used for aerospace applications."

• Nafion™ "membranes, dispersions, and resins provides leading-edge solutions for energy storage, fuel cells, hydrogen production, and ultra-high purity chemical production."

Catalysts

• Umicore "Umicore’s PEM Fuel Cell catalysts are developed to provide the automotive industry and green hydrogen production with high performance fuel cells."

Membranes

• Trania makes membranes for fuel cells in the Republic of Korea.

Vehicles

Aircraft & Drones

• Airbus

• H2 Clipper, Inc. "H2C delivers clean hydrogen anywhere in the world via the most effective, lowest cost, and safest, end-to-end hydrogen transport and distribution system in the world."

Honeywell hydrogen fuel cells are available today to help UAVs accomplish missions far beyond the capabilities of drones powered by batteries or gasoline engines. Operators of fixed-wing or multi-rotor platforms can fly up to three times longer with Honeywell’s proven hydrogen fuel cell onboard."

• Universal Hydrogen "We are building a flexible, scalable, and capital-light approach to hydrogen logistics by transporting it in modular capsules over the existing freight network from green production sites to airports around the world. At the airport, the modules are loaded directly into the aircraft using existing cargo handling equipment. No new infrastructure is needed. Starting with regional airplanes, we are also developing conversion kits to retrofit the existing fleet with a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain."

• ZeroAvia

Cars, Vans & Pickup-Trucks

• Elring Klinger "As one of the world's leading system partners to the automotive industry, ElringKlinger specializes in e-mobility, lightweight solutions, sealing and shielding technology, and tooling. We are committed to actively shaping the world of mobility – today and well into the future. At the same time, we are also maintaining our forward momentum in the non-automotive lines of business."

• Hyundai: NEXO Fuel Cell (SUV) "The world’s first dedicated hydrogen-powered SUV, NEXO Fuel Cell gives you an EPA-estimated range of up to 380 miles. And with zero emissions, it’s helping to take us toward a cleaner future . It’s your journey.⁠" 

• Stellantis: Hydrogen-Fuel-Cell Vans

• Toyota: Mirai "2023 Mirai Starting MSRP $ 49,500" This 4 seater car "generates power by combining hydrogen with oxygen from the outside air. "