Imagine powering your notebook computer from a micro fuel cell the size of a cube of sugar. Consider the possibility of powering your entire home with a power plant the size of two soda cans. This is the potential of a breakthrough in fuel cells called "thin-film solid oxide fuel cells," or SOFCs. These thin-film solid oxide fuel cells are currently being developed at the University of Houston. They demonstrate remarkable properties for generating electricity without the high temperatures required by today's
fuel cells, and without the need for taking up the space that's currently required by commercial
fuel cells.
These thin-film fuel cells can be manufactured and put into production in very tiny spaces. We're talking about something that's half the size of an AA battery being able to power an entire computer, and to do it for hours on end. Even more importantly, these fuel cells operate at much higher energy efficiency than current electrical production and distribution systems. For example, a household running on such a fuel cell would operate at 65% efficiency -- that's the conversion of electrical potential in hydrogen to usable electricity -- rather than the more typical 30-35% efficiency offered by industrial power plants.
The applications for these miniature fuel cells are, of course, widespread: consumer electronics, portable computing, practical robots, medical devices, space exploration, personal transportation, power for remote sites, emergency power backup systems, and so on. The emergence of this technology is yet one more example of the new wave of portable power technologies we're witnessing today. It is truly an exciting time for this technology, and its development appears to be quite rapid. The sooner these technologies can be commercialized and brought to market as consumer products, the better; because today's power technology (batteries) is woefully inadequate.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams created NaturalNews.TV, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He's also the founder and CEO of a well known email mail merge software developer whose software, 'Email Marketing Director,' currently runs the NaturalNews email subscriptions. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Tuesday, July 27, 2004
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