Ballard Energy : How a Fuel Cell Works

[ViperWK]

Their claim on easy storage and transportation of Hydrogen is BS. Go and research it, hydrogen is extremely difficult to store and handle and is not the magic bullet they make you think it is.

[bihlbo]

The actual fact is we already have access to fusion energy and we just aren't using it because of the very real possibility that the Earth would loose mass and break out of its orbit, killing us all. If we don't offset this mass loss by burning fossil fuels, fusion will never be viable. FACT

[appelermoidieu]

@bihlbo yeah, we are the master of universe, we are able to create energy from fusion, but we prefer using old-fashioned fossil fuels, because of the vintage things... stupid boy.

[mrspacee]

@bihlbo I don't think you understand the physics involved.

[zawor500]

there is also a lot nuclear power plants which doesn't produce pollution like SO2 or SO3 or NO and together with efficient nuclear waste storing it is pretty clean way of crating power for making pure H

[anselmo666666]

I agree. There are many people who are up in arms about nuclear power, but I think it is the way to go for now, as long as we are careful so as to avoid meltdowns, etc. Nuclear plants have no pollution whatsoever, as the "smokestacks" are purely for water vapor. Not to say that you didn't know this, as you stated how clean it is, I'm just letting everyone know.

[stephiedav]

1:21

[TimTrimT]

Good technology but it's a red-herring. Hydrogen is only an energy storage device. Research how efficient it is compared to other ways of storing energy. Not very.

Also, the only cheap source of hydrogen is COAL AND OIL cracking!!! Not very clean.

Lastly, hydrogen would pretty much guarantee that you won't be able to produce your own energy. Electric is much easier for homes to produce.

All electric = efficient, even competition during production, clean. Hydrogen - more of the same BS.

[faicialfazel]

the hydrogen makes the electricity and coal and oil is made up of carbon

[TimTrimT]

Go look where hydrogen comes from. The only cheap source is dirty..

How: Look up hydrogen production on wikipedia for starters and pay attention to "steam reformation" - which is currently the most efficient method of capturing hydrogen - though dirty. You use oil and coal and natural gas - lots of it - and dump the carbon into the air (same as a car) and take the small left over hydrogen and put it in a car?? Are we smoking crack? USE ELECTRICITY and cut out the middle man.

[faicialfazel]

dude thats wikipedia it can be edited to say watever. did u pay attention to the video. the only thing that gets released is water. thats it. and i agree we should be using electricity but its really hard to store enough of it and recharge it in a few minutes. if we could use electricity that easily we'd be using it right now. hydrogen cars use a completely different method than gasoline cars.

[TimTrimT]

Don't be a 'tard. Steam reformation is how hydrogen is made - look anywhere, you don't have to believe wikipedia. But on this point it's right. Electrolysis is clean, but expensive and inefficient.

Burning hydrogen is clean, you are right. But MAKING cheap hydrogen isn't. Dirty!

On the difficulty of storing electricity YOU ARE RIGHT! :) It's very hard, but that's the challenge we should focus on. Just remember, hydrogen cars ARE electric - with hydrogen as the battery. Efficiency matters!!!

[anselmo666666]

What you are failing to realize, however, is that using a coal power plant to produce the hydrogen is vastly more efficient than regular car, therefore less pollution. Similar to an electric car, although you still need a coal power plant to produce the electricity for the car, the power plant is much more efficient than the car.

[TimTrimT]

It was physically painful for me to come answer this because your thinking was so muddy. I'll try to help you understand:

Your logic error is in comparing with an ICE "normal car": almost ANYTHING is an improvement over ICE so that says nothing.

I am comparing ALL electric to H-electric, and hydrogen as an electricity carrier fails. You'll get more electricity to your wheels if you just make electricity with the coal - not hydrogen. More electricity to your wheels = higher net efficiency.

[anselmo666666]

You seem to be missing my point, however. My point was that electric cars still use power that comes from power plants that burn fossil fuels, as do combustion engine cars. So gas cars AND electric cars both use fossil fuels (which pollute) as their source of energy, however, power plants obviously can generate the energy more efficiently, which equates to less pollution.

[TimTrimT]

That's a fine point - centralized large scale energy production is more efficient - I've also made that point many times in support of all electric.

But i don't understand how that translates to your support of H? If you are all electric, you are open to powering it from any electricity producing method on earth including clean ones.

If you're using H, you MUST use H and are perpetuating the centralized energy monopolies. Hydrogen defeats energy diversity and therefore I'm against it.

[anselmo666666]

I think electric is the way to go.

[potatoWTFnope]

If and when your own home can produce electricity, it CAN produce hydrogen. Just run an electric current through H2O and you get oxygen (1/2 of the fuel) and hydrogen (2/2 part of the fuel shown in the video). Imagine, never pay for using a car. Thats the morning I want to wake up to.

[TimTrimT]

Of course you could - just wouldn't be smart. I was trying to explain that there are far more efficient ways to move that electricity into your wheels. Run the numbers on battery versus hydrogen efficiency. It's not good.

Want numbers? Often cited: 86% battery electric efficiency versus 40% for hydrogen electric. Plus, you can plug an all electric car into your house - h2 needs a whole new distribution system built with explosive stations on every corner. Expensive. Turn 'em into parks instead.

[mackat4ck]

very interesting, I'm glad I know properly how this works

[FlamingPope]

agreed, but you are all missing the point, when you change the type of engine your still not solving the problem. your only moving the problem to the plant which produces the electricity or hydrogen or what ever fuel is being used.

Solar, wind, and nuclear research is the way to go.

[mikanally]

If you live in a place where electricity is coal-based, then you're right, but if you live in a place where the electricity is generated by hydro-power (hydro-electric dam), you could have one facility that generates electricity AND could easily produce hydrogen with no environmental pollution.

[13Mo2]

You all should go check out the movie "Who Killed The Electric Car" it is a vary good movie that makes you realize that these fuel cells are not the answer!

[aimmaster]

Your comment is very unessesscary! I cant spell

[apheta]

Nice tutorial.

This video has been added to the playlist "Energy, Policy, and Climate Change", a collection of more than 50 related videos. Click on user name "apheta" in this comment and then click on playlists.

[hildegueden]

X80568056... Nice talking from somebody who is not related to fuel cell researching. Why don't you talk about DMFC?, or progresses in nanostructured catalysts, or Hydrogen storage in highly porous carbon or yetbetter.... in the high amounts of money that's been invested in fuel cell technology by companies like BMW, Daimer-Chrysler, GM, Toshiba, LG... Certainly Fuel Cell is not the future... is now.

[hildegueden]

X80568056... Nice talking from somebody who is not related to fuel cell researching. Why don't you talk about DMFC?, or progresses in nanostructured catalysts, or Hydrogen storage in highly porous carbon or yet better.... in the high amounts of money that's been invested in fuel cell technology by companies like BMW, Daimer-Chrysler, GM, Toshiba, LG... Certainly Fuel Cell is not the future, is now.

[get2djnow]

No, really, H2 is explosive? I suppose you'll tell me that N2 is the major constituent of air. If you don't have something intelligent to add, don't bother responding. Generating power where it is need will always be the most efficient way.  When super conductors are dirt cheap you call me, old man.

[get2djnow]

The reason that purely battery-powered electric cars will never be the "way to go" is 1) electricity will have to be generated somewhere and the losses of bringing that power to the user will make it very expensive, and 2) the current lead-acid battery is very dangerous when exposed to a car fire and toxic when burning on the road. Good luck with that whole "anti-car industry conspiracy thing" though!

[ICEInterphace]

roling bommb thats what i have 2 say

[get2djnow]

Exactly! Even worse, and expensive rolling bomb!

[CupChamps]

x80568056 is the type of person who said "electricity wont work" candles are the best way to keep a hope lit. LOL Keep following my friend.

[CupChamps]

For all you guys worried about flames. lol They're moving on this technology already. Hydrogen Fueling Stations are up in CA mostly and more in the works around the country. The hydrogen is decompressed but forget that... People said the same thing about storing a tank of gasoline in the car you drive. Gasoline vapor doesn't evaporate as esily either.

[CupChamps]

Fuel Cells are our future! Invest in them now and you'll be set for the years to come! BLDP & PLUG are good companies. Visit me on my alternative energy board at ihub.

[JunoNH]

Wait.. threw electrolosis surely u could extract hydrogen and oxygen from water rite? And since water is a bi-product of the feul cell proccess, surely u could just recycle that hydrogen? It would just involve an electrolosis tank in the car aswell, and it could charge as u go, and charge over nite. Only problem i guess would be making energy to start the proccess up, but couldnt u just use a car battery like we do today?

[bitRAKE]

The PEM cell is expensive and damaged over time. The hydrogen should be disolved in another material or produced on demand - to reduce the danger of explosion and storage tank size.

We need to look at the complete process from production of vehicle and consumables (fuel, oil, etc.) through use, disposal of old vehicles, exhaust, safety, etc...Only then will better solutions be realized.

[timewaster3000]

hi there. As I understand it hydrogen behaves completely differently from gasoline, not least in that it is lighter than air, not heavier. Secondly, the Hindenberg blaze was caused by the oil-based bitumen used to make the balloon airtight. 3rd, hydrogen can be created from many relatively efficient sources, not least from natural gas - far more efficient than burning it. They've got hydrogen buses running in a number of cities already...watch this space...

[szaki]

Hydrogen is highly flamable/explosive, see the German Hindenberg exploded in mid air in the 30's.

Still need energy to make hydrogen, not freely available like oil.

[ClumzorZ]

That would be crazy! It would go up in flames like a tank of gas!

[mastdane]

nice but what happens when u crash, hydrogen goes up in flames and explodes violently. but hopefully they solve that.