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Fuel Cells are not a new idea. The principle was discovered over 160 years ago by a Welsh judge, Sir William Grove. Until recently, their use was confined to the laboratory and to exotic applications -- such as space travel -- where they provide electricity, heat and water, and have done so since the 1960s when they were chosen over riskier, less reliable options. But the technology was immature and far too expensive for terrestrial applications.
Recently, interest in fuel cells has increased sharply and progress towards commercialisation has accelerated. Today, practical fuel cell systems are becoming available and are expected to take a growing share of the markets for automotive power and generation equipment once costs fall to competitive levels.
The London Financial Times stated that ". . . recent progress in cutting the costs and improving the performance of fuel cells has been so rapid that there really does seem to be a good prospect of the technology going into mass production as a clean energy source in the next century, both for moving vehicles and for stationary power generation" (26 July 1996). Since then the pace of development has further accelerated.
What has caused this recent interest? Commercialisation is being driven by four major challenges that fuel cells are uniquely able to address:
- Build-up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is leading to global warming with unpredictable but potentially catastrophic consequences.
- When fossil fuels burn, they emit a cocktail of toxic pollutants that damage the environment and people's health.
- World oil production will decline in the next 10-20 years and dependence on a few energy rich nations will significantly increase. Energy security and price will be threatened.
- Deregulation of the electricity supply industry is changing the market. New companies are entering the market offering energy services based on distributed on-site power generation. This segment of the energy market is likely to grow rapidly and utilities will have to adapt to the opportunity and challenge.
The market for automotive power and stationary generation conversion equipment is the largest market for capital equipment in the world. Fuel cells and fuel cell powered vehicles will be an economic growth leader in the coming decades securing high quality employment for many thousands of people.
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