Fuel cells: a tiny little box of awesome

Fuel cells seem to have gradually infiltrated the world of energy. However, it is still a fairly new and widely unused source of energy. Right now, with the current technology at hand, fuel cells are impractical; however, it is very likely that in the near future, they have the potential to move to the forefront of the world's energy needs, from remote power sources to transportation.

These fuel cells, like the one shown to the right, are actually fairly simple in nature. The fuel, usually hydrogen, is pumped into the cell. Then, it is oxidized, meaning it is changed from a neutral atom into a positive ion and a single free electron. Said electrons are then free to move about, specifically through a wire, which creates electric current. Then, on the other side of the cell, the aforementioned positive ion and electron are reunited and react with another substance, generally oxygen, creating a waste product of water or carbon dioxide. Now a perfectly reasonable reaction at this point would be "Hey, Bryan! You promised us this was simple!" I'm not really implying that fuel cells are simple, and anyone could just make one if the mood struck them. I'm just saying that these fuel cells are a lot easier than say...gas-powered engines. Just in case you didn't know before now, the engine that drives your car is literally housing thousands of explosions every second. Just something to think about...

Anyway, that's how the most basic of fuel cells work. Naturally there are variations on the simple design, and many other methods used that all help change the uses and efficiency of the fuel cells. One such alteration is a very very recent development referred to as the "bloom box." A good video detailing the bloom box can be found here. The bloom box works off the same general principle, but utilizes sand and hydrocarbons to create electricity. As of right now, it's still unclear how it works, but it apparently seems to work quite effectively. However, one drawback I personally see is that it needs hydrocarbons, like gasoline, in order to function.

Whew...I don't know about you, but I can't handle any more science. Let's talk numbers. The typical fuel cell cranks out an average of .6 to .7 volts, or about half of a triple A battery, which is not exactly all that impressive. However, these fuel cells are capable of being stacked together in either series or parallel circuits, allowing higher voltage or higher current respectively. If one were to stack together enough of these fuel cells, it would be possible to get enough voltage to power virtually any application, from a 100 Watt laptop, to a 5000 Watt house, to a 100,000 Watt vehicle, to even a massive 200,000,000 Watt central power generator. The very "stackable" nature of fuel cells is what makes it so useful in many different applications. Hydrogen cells are pretty efficient, too. About half of the energy from the fuel (hydrogen) is converted into electricity, and half of it is lost as heat because a typical hydrogen fuel cell is about 50% efficient. This is a lot more impressive when compared to an average car, which is about 3% to 4% efficient on a good day. Furthermore, due to the fairly simple nature of fuel cells, they can be expected to be very reliable. They are compact, lightweight, have no moving parts, and don't contain tiny explosions, meaning that it is very very difficult for it to actually break. Scientists theorize that for every 2 years of perfect functionality, a hydrogen fuel cell could be expected to break for about a minute. Fuel cells also have countless uses. The most practical one, would actually be providing power to a remote location. A stack of hydrogen fuel cells, a tank of oxygen, and a tank of hydrogen could essentially power anything from a remote log cabin to a permanent settlement on Mars. Also, hydrogen fuel cells are currently being used to power vehicles that expel only oxygen and water vapor as waste. Many things, from German subs to the Element One car run off fuel cells. in 2008, Boeing conducted experimental flight tests of The Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane, powered by both fuel cells and unimaginative titles. Reykjavik, Iceland, was the first place to open a hydrogen refueling station, literally just a gas station for hydrogen fuel cells. Granted, it only services three buses, but it still counts.

All in all, I'm quite impressed with the potential of fuel cells. I remember several years ago when I used to think a hydrogen powered car was ridiculous and sounded just like some fantastical pipe dream. Now, however, it's starting to look like hydrogen-powered cars could become the norm within my lifetime. Personally, I think it'll take quite a while for it to become practical to use fuel cells, but in reality it's only a matter of time

The Sun: the biggest nuclear reactor this side of the Kuiper Belt

The sun accounts for roughly 99.86% of the mass in the Solar System. It is about 1.3 billion kilometers across and reaches surface temperatures of over 5000 degrees Celsius. Through a process called nuclear fusion, it combines up to 600 million tons of hydrogen atoms together every second. The energy released from this process then travels 150 billion kilometers to the Earth, which absorbs 3,850,000,000,000,000,000,000 Joules of energy from the sun every year, all of which is just begging to be used by humankind. Put into perspective, in one hour, the Earth receives more energy from the sun than the entire human race collectively used in 2002.

Now that's all well and good, but a person logically might be wondering how exactly can this energy be harnessed by humans in order to get things done? Energy from the sun essentially fuels everything on the planet in some fashion. It is absorbed by plants to create food, chemical energy, biomass materials, and eventually even fossil fuels. Buildings can be specially engineered to absorb sunlight as heat and distribute it throughout the entire structure, essentially creating free and clean heating. Yet, primarily, solar energy is harnessed through what is referred to as "Solar Power," which is essentially just using sunlight to create electricity. There are two ways to do this, either directly through photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly through concentrated solar power (CSP).Photovoltaic cells, from the single-cell units in calculators to the massive panel arrays in power plants, have the capacity to directly convert the photons in sunlight into direct current electricity. Essentially, a photovoltaic cell functions by absorbing photon particles in sunlight, which then collide with electrons within the cell, causing the electrons to be knocked into a higher energy state, thus creating a flow of electrons, otherwise known as "electricity." PV cells are highly effective and have many uses, from running a pocket calculator, to recharging batteries, to powering orbiting satellites. One of the fastest-growing applications for PVs are massive photovoltaic power plants, such as the Olmedilla plant in Spain, which can crank out 60 MegaWatts of power. However, a massive project in California is expected to begin sometime this year in the Northwest California valley. The Topaz Solar Farm is expected to be fully operation by 2013 and produce a whopping 550 MegaWatts of power, and roughly 1100 GigaWatt-hours of perfectly renewable energy. Clearly, the photovoltaic industry is growing at a rapid rate, and is likely to become the dominant source of electricity at some point in this century.

Concentrating Solar Power takes a slightly different angle from the photovoltaic cells. CSP essentially uses large arrays of mirrors to focus sunlight onto a single point. Sometimes this concentrated sunlight is directed onto photovoltaic module, but the vast majority of the time, it is simply used for its thermal energy. The mirrors all focus sunlight onto a single reservoir of a working fluid, oftentimes simply water. the water is then heated, creating steam, which can then activate massive turbines, creating electricity. This process is called solar thermoelectricity. Currently, the Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS), a cluster of nine plants in the Mojave Desert of California, spanning 1600 acres, is the largest solar power plant in the world. It is capable of cranking out 354 MegaWatts of power and powers 232,500 homes. Furthermore, as the technology of CSP improves, it is clear that solar power will soon dominate the electricity needs of mankind.

Solar power looks pretty darn impressive, to be blunt. It is virtually completely renewable, and very efficient. However, it does have some drawbacks. For one thing, it is an intermittent energy source, meaning that it is not available 24/7. Obviously, the sun is only available half the time, as only one half of the earth can face it at a time. Furthermore, it is significantly less effective when it is cloudy, or direct sunlight is otherwise obstructed. However, methods are being developed to predict periods of highest efficiency, thus preventing time and energy from being wasted. Also, other methods are being devised to store energy during times of ample sunlight to be saved for a rainy day, to use a truly atrocious pun, if I may. Another drawback is the sheer cost. PV cells are downright expensive to install. However, after the initial installation, maintenance is fairly minimal. Also, many governments are creating incentives to create "green energy" sources in various communities, making solar power more readily accessible to regular suburbanites. A third drawback is the fact that all photovoltaic cells, the kind that can be most easily used by the aforementioned suburbanites, can only create direct current electricity. Naturally, this DC electricity must be converted to alternating current electricity through a power inverter, which leads to lowered efficiency, more complex machinery, and unfortunately a loss of energy, simply to make it usable in homes, as everything from microwaves to curling irons run off alternating current. However, I personally feel that solar power rises high above its few drawbacks, and certainly has the potentially to become the leading source of energy in the world of the future.

FIRST!

This is essentially my first real foray into the wide, wondrous world of blogging, so I suppose I'll start with explaining what this blog is, and what it's supposed to do.

The world today is run primarily on oil, and various other fossil fuels. Oil (specifically, mineral oil) forms from the breakdown of organic material over millions and millions of years, and is widely considered to be the most effective and efficient energy source ever harnessed by mankind. Think about it: a gallon of gasoline, produced from oil, contains the power to push a 3000 pound car twenty or thirty miles. However, the world is running out of this substance. The earth cannot replenish the supplies of oil nearly as quickly as human beings are using them up. Furthermore, the burning of oil and gasoline releases harmful toxins into the atmosphere.

Clearly, human beings must find an alternative source of energy, one that is renewable and doesn't pollute the planet. The planet's oil supply is gradually approaching zero, a concept referred to as "peak oil," and when it does, humanity had better be able adjust to life without it.

Therefore, the purpose of this blog is to analyze the various alternative sources of energy, and attempt to discern the most effective, safe, renewable, and efficient energy source that can take the place of oil in today's society.