Current advances and applications of fuel cell technologies

Abstract

Increasing energy demand and growing environmental concerns have driven the civilization towards cleaner energy-producing devices. Among the various clean energy devices, fuel cells have gained considerable attention due to their attractive features such as high efficiency, low or zero tail-end carbon emission, quiet operation, modular size, etc. The recent technological advances in the different components of the fuel cell are translated into new fuel cell devices and systems. The commercial application of fuel cells has been made feasible due to these technological advances. Research and development in the low-temperature fuel cells, particularly the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), have been advanced more in comparison to the medium- and high-temperature fuel cells. The PEFC has been extensively tested in automobiles. The advent of the microbial fuel cell (MFC) and direct glucose fuel cell (DGFC) has added a new dimension to the low-temperature fuel cell technology. The more attractive application of MFC is often seen in the waste treatment and energy generation. Similarly, the fuel cells are also tested for unmanned machines, vehicles and space application. The medium- and high-temperature fuel cells are usually used as a stand-alone system. This chapter provides an overview of the technological advances and applications of the fuel cells.