ABSTRACT
When oil, one of the most important energy sources in the history of mankind, was first discovered in Pennsylvania almost 150 years ago, the fuel cell had already been known for 20 years, invented by Sir William Grove, “father of the fuel cell,” in 1839. Back then, it was an idea that was far ahead of its time. Today, however, it is the most important development in the world history of decentralized energy supply. Fuel cells are now widely accepted to be efficient and nonpolluting power sources, offering much higher energy densities and energy efficiencies than any other current energy storage devices. They are therefore considered to be promising energy devices for the transport, mobile, and stationary sector, and have emerged as a vital alternative energy solution to reduce societal dependence on internal combustion engines
and lead-acid batteries. Indeed, they promise significantly improved energy efficiency with zero or low greenhouse gas emissions, and they are now expected to play a key role in the so-called hydrogen economy.
