ABSTRACT

Power generation is being advanced by fuel cell technology as many fuel cell generators are being marketed now. Fuel cells can be used to generate electricity, heat, and hydrogen. The US Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy has a joint program with fuel cell developers to develop the technology for stationary power applications includes central power and distributed generation. Fuel cell technology continues to advance with materials research. Parked fuel cell cars could be plugged into the grid to generate power. If only a small percentage of drivers used their vehicles as power plants to sell energy back to the grid, many of the power plants in the country could be closed. Fuel cells are the cleanest and most efficient technologies for generating electricity from fossil fuels. The US Department of Energy has a major program in the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance to bring about dramatic reductions in fuel cell costs.