Portable Fuel Cell

There are a variety of different portable fuel cells on the market. Each of them is capable of providing a power equivalent to 1000 AA alkaline batteries. The Portable fuel cell is becoming popular in the energy industry due to the low cost of production and high power output. These fuel cells are destined to replace the existing AA batteries which have been used for practically every electrical device. The newest addition to the portable fuel cell is the Hydro Stik which is built from a desktop hydrogen supply. Hydro Stiks are inserted into this pack to replace the depleted fuel cells. This fuel cell is capable of powering a 5V USB port and provides a continuous power supply of 2W. The pack comes with a built in USB port to help plug in cameras, iPods and even laptops with USB chargers. Portable fuel cells similar to this model come with a hydrogen supply station that is powered by tap water. A miniature electrode system is inbuilt into the hydrogen supply station. This station uses the hydrogen from water to recharge the hydro stiks. Portable fuel cells on larger scales can be used to power generators and hybrid vehicles. These generators utilize hydrogen fuel cells as a base source of hydrogen.

Portable fuel cell technology will help promote renewable and green energy. There are billions of alkaline batteries being disposed into the land every year. Alkaline batteries use toxic chemicals which can inhibit growth and create toxic zones if left to accumulate and break down. Portable fuel cells will be able to eliminate the need for alkaline batteries entirely providing a greener and cleaner fuel alternative. A more heavy duty model the ultracell XX25 delivers a 25w continuous power and weighs 1.25kg. It is the size of a standard text book and is ideal as backup power for computers and communication devices.

The Portable fuel cell is progressing in leaps and bounds and manufacturers hope to make it affordable enough to replace the current alkaline batteries. Unfortunately portable fuel cells have power to size ratio which limits portability. Therefore to power high end devices users would need to invest in a fuel cell that is of a considerable weight and size. This issue arises due to the size of the electrode. The surface area of an electrode directly determines how much power it will be able to produce. Therefore larger portable fuel cells will be capable of producing considerable power.

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