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Welcome to the Fuel Cell News channel. This channel will provide you with news and information as it applies to fuel cell energy topics.
A fuel cell works like a battery but does not run down or need recharging. It can produce electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied. A fuel cell consists of two electrodes - a negative electrode (or anode) and a positive electrode (or cathode) - sandwiched around an electrolyte. With a hydrogen fuel cells, hydrogen is fed to the anode, and oxygen is fed to the cathode. Activated by a catalyst, hydrogen atoms separate into protons and electrons, which take different paths to the cathode. The electrons go through an external circuit, creating a flow of electricity. The protons migrate through the electrolyte to the cathode, where they reunite with oxygen and the electrons to produce water and heat. Fuel cells can be used to power vehicles or to provide electricity and heat to buildings. Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can be used to power nearly every end-use energy need. The fuel cell—an energy conversion device that can efficiently capture and use the power of hydrogen—is the key to making it happen. Fuel cells can be used for backup power, power for remote locations, distributed power generation, and cogeneration (in which excess heat released during electricity generation is used for other applications). Fuel cells can power almost any portable application that typically uses batteries, from hand-held devices to portable generators. Fuel cells can also power our transportation, including personal vehicles, trucks, buses, and marine vessels, as well as provide auxiliary power to traditional transportation technologies. Hydrogen can play a particularly important role in the future by replacing the imported petroleum we currently use in our cars and trucks.