1. Because It's a Fuel Cell Not a Storage Cell!
The name "cell" can be misleading: the fuel cell is not a storage
battery, it is a device that directly converts the chemical energy of
hydrogen and oxygen into electricity. The fuel cell can continue to
produce electricity as long as it is fed with hydrogen and oxygen and
the reaction products are removed. The fuel cell uses a catalyst to
combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with water formed
as a byproduct.
This is the key to its great advantages. For because
it produces electricity directly from a chemical reaction, it is far
more efficient than conventional processes which need various energy
conversions for producing electric power. Although the principle is
simple, and has been known since it was used in the early U.S. space
program, Toshiba's engineers have expanded the useful life of the
fuel cell, ensuring long service at high efficiencies, and greatly
widened the range of possible useful applications. For instance, a
total 172 units of the 200kW-capacity PC25 series fuel cell have been
already delivered to 58 nations, and have an accumulated total
running time of 1.6 million hours.
2. Because It Uses Readily Available Fuels
The fuel cell can use the unlimited supply of oxygen in the air, and
almost any hydrogen-rich gas. Methane generated from biomass
(composted vegetation), or the anaerobic digester gas from sewage or
other waste products, are among the wide range of possible sources
that include natural gas, LPG and naphtha. This means inherently low
fuel costs and/or useful contributions to the costs of running sewage
or waste-treatment plants.
3. Because It is Essentially Non-Polluting
Because the power plants uses only low-temperature combustion of the
hydrogen discharged from the anode, the oxides of nitrogen and sulfur
compounds that can cause serious pollution, including acid rain,
occur in inherently very low concentrations.
4. Because It is Highly Efficient and Compact
The basic energy conversion efficiency of the Toshiba PC25C for
electricity generation is 40%, equivalent to very large and most
efficient thermal power stations. But the heat energy released can
also be used (so-called co-generation), and even the byproduct water
is valuable wherever water is in short supply. This raises the
potential overall efficiency to 80%! And this efficiency is achieved
in a very compact unit. For instance, the 200kW PC25C is only 5.5m
wide, 3.0m high, and 3.0m wide!
5. Because the Applications are Virtually Unlimited
Fuel cells, which generate direct current (DC), are combined with AC
converters (another Toshiba specialty) to provide independent
electricity supplies for hospitals or computer centers, where power
failures could have disastrous consequences. Such units can also help
utility companies to provide cost-effective distributed generation to
supplement the power grid, and serve to make waste- and
sewage-treatment plants more economically viable. The car
manufacturers are also looking to small fuel cells to provide
non-polluting power for the next generation of cars. The clear
advantages of the fuel cell, long evident to Toshiba engineers, have
now been recognized by the prestigious award of the Minister of Trade
and Industry. Toshiba is therefore ideally positioned to serve the
power needs of the century about to dawn.
