What are fuel cells?

Although originally discovered by Sir William Grove in 1839, fuel cell technology is among the latest energy sources to be explored and developed. Able to produce electric power from hydrogen and oxygen, fuel cells can be used to provide energy for a variety of applications.

A fuel cell can be seen as a hybrid between an electrochemical cell, or battery (electrochemical process) and a generator (fuel fed from outside the system). Just as in any electrochemical cell, a fuel cell is made of two electrodes, the negatively charged anode and the positively charged cathode, divided by an electrolyte. Unlike batteries, however, the electrodes are not "consumed" over time nor are the chemicals stored inside the cell. Hydrogen (fuel) and oxygen (oxidant) power fuel cells. They are provided from external sources, and as long as they are supplied to the cell, electricity will continue to flow.