Lillian, "Fuel Cells have Great Potential"

The growing energy crisis has the world worrying about alternative fuels for the future, many car companies have begun to experiment with, and produce electrically run cars. Currently, most electric cars are powered by batteries, it is projected that future cars will turn to using fuel cells. Basically what a fuel cell is, is an electrochemical cell where the reactants (or chemical components) are replenished while the unit delivers electrical power so that it never runs out of energy. This is a highly efficient process in that their greenhouse emissions are very small, and any waste that is produced by a fuel cell can be recycled and used. The process by which the byproducts are reused is cogeneration. Fuel cells are looking good for the future because efficiency at getting energy from different fuels, and because they do not produce much carbon dioxide. Also, despite being expensive, fuels cells are very easy to repair. In order to recharge batteries that operate in this fashion, a process called electrolysis is employed. Electrolysis, involves passing electrical currents through a material to facilitate a chemical reaction. What that means is that in order to recharge batteries electricity is required and it is to be run through a material in order to force a redox reaction. [1]

Things I didn’t understand: I didn’t know what a fuel cell was so I read the chapter before this one and found out that fuel cell was simply a process where a chemical is constantly recycled while the unit delivers electrical power. The process involves the circulation of H+.

I found this short chapter to be interesting since we are currently in an energy crisis that must be faced and dealt with. I think one of the largest challenges that America is going to face through the battle to conserve energy, and reduce global warming, is the transition from gas guzzling SUV’s to low pollutant, energy/fuel efficient electrical cars. Right now the main problem is that Americans don’t want to give up their big cars for smaller more eco-friendly ones. America has become a consumer nation and so it is natural that to suddenly change from that would be difficult because wasting energy, and polluting the earth has become somewhat of a life style unfortunately. Of course though, global warming is going to be a struggle for other countries to tackle too, but it will be hardest for the US because we use the most energy, and fuels, and we emit the most greenhouse gas. But soon enough the nation will begin taking larger steps to act against global warming and its causes.

[1] Baird, Colin; 12.7 Fuel cells have great potential; Chemistry in Your Life second edition; W.H. Freeman and Company, 2006. Page 463