Fuel Cells
As the scientific world progresses and the over-consumption of fossil fuels continues, scientists, environmentalists, and businessmen alike seek alternate forms of energy production and usage. One such alternative is viable through fuel cells.Fuel cells can power cars, trucks, and buses without emitting harmful tailpipe emissions. Such vehicles will be cleaner and more energy efficient than those powered by an internal combustion engine. Fuel cells also may provide energy to factories and homes without creating smokestack pollution. They offer significant improvements in energy efficiency as they remove the intermediate step of combustion and mechanical devices such as turbines and pistons. Unlike conventional systems their high efficiency is not compromised by small sizes. Fuel cell cogeneration plants have demonstrated unprecedented reliability and durability that is significantly better than conventional competitive equipment. The absence of combustion and moving parts means that fuel cells can run continuously for long periods of time before servicing and that they are far less prone to breakdown or forced outages. A number of fuel cell systems operating in "real world" commercial conditions have run continuously at full pow
Simulated 55 mph crash tests left the car totaled, but the hydrogen tank intact. It is a relatively efficient and inexpensive process, and can be made still more efficient with harvest of the waste heat (commonly referred to as cogeneration). Yet coal does contain hydrogen, and techniques are being developed to sequester the remaining carbon. When heated in a controlled atmosphere, biomass converts to synthesis gas, which primarily consists of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen. Pressurized hydrogen tanks are made to withstand enormous impacts, and fail gracefully, if at all. But because hydrogen contains no carbon, it burns cleanly without a residue of hot soot, producing little radiant energy. Hydrogen fuel cells are actually hydrogen batteries that generate electricity. Fortunately, biomass gassification's past hurdles have been economic rather than technical. In the meantime, transitional methods exist to make hydrogen with relatively moderate environmental impact. Looking ahead, it is also important to consider that fossil fuels are finite: we will eventually run out of them. They can capture 40%-60% or more of a fuel's energy to power a car with low or zero emissions. These industries have already resolved the safety issues around the storage and transportation of hydrogen. Ideally, this would come from renewable sources like wind and photovoltaics, and in the long term, it will. Unfortunately, coal mining pollutes and despoils the landscape, and burning coal produces many harmful emissions. They can be refueled quicker and even run longer between refueling.
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Acceptance Essays
