Clean energy source slowly, steadily gains popularity
A proton exchange membrane fuel cell is an electrochemical device in which the energy of a chemical reaction is converted directly into electricity.
By combining hydrogen fuel with oxygen from air, electricity is formed, without combustion of any form. Water and heat are the only by-products when hydrogen is used as the fuel source.
Although hydrogen is the primary fuel source for fuel cells, the process of fuel reforming allows hydrogen to be extracted from other fuels, including methanol, natural gas, petroleum or renewable sources. Unlike a battery, a fuel cell does not run down or require recharging; it operates as long as it has fuel.
Fuel cells were first used in practical application in the 1960s, when the Gemini and Apollo space programs used them to provide electricity on spacecraft. During the 1970s, fuel cell technology was developed for systems on earth. Utilities and automobile manufacturers began to test them in the 1980s.
Homes in Europe and Japan use fuel cells to supply back-up power. The technology received a boost in the United States when President George W. Bush mentioned it in his 2003 State of the Union address.