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Charlotte Kane
Texas Brigades
14 March 2013
2013 An Energy Odyssey
There are many reasons that we should not use natural gas, coal, and oil to
sustain our energy needs. Two of the most vital being the danger we pose on our
environment and the low stores of the resources we are exhausting. The greatest
natural resource issue for this generation is finding a new one. Hydrogen fuel cells
offer the best way to replace our fossil fuels satisfactorily, and in this essay I will
prove why that is true.
Hydrogen is the simplest element. An atom of hydrogen consists of only one
proton and one electron. It's also the most plentiful element in the universe.
Theoretically, the hydrogen fuel cell the most viable option as a permanent solution
to our energy issues. Hydrogen is high in energy, yet an engine that burns pure
hydrogen produces almost no pollution. NASA has used liquid hydrogen since the
1970s to propel the space shuttle and other rockets into orbit. Hydrogen fuel cells
power the shuttle's electrical systems, producing a clean byproduct - pure water,
which the crew drinks.
Chemically, hydrogen is the element whose reactions generate the energy
we obtain from all of the fossil fuel sources we use today. But the Hydrogen fuel cell
of today extracts and burns pure hydrogen molecules from water. Renewable
Energy World explains how, “It utilizes a combination of the two elements
hydrogen and oxygen, while only producing two bi-products, heat and pure water.”
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The next step for hydrogen fuel cells that would put them on the fast track to
becoming a staple energy source is to use them to power our personal vehicles.
Triple Pundit in their article, “Fuel Cell Energy: Pros and Cons” cites: “Fuel cells that
operate at high temperatures are well-suited for combined heat and power (CHP)
applications, which increase their overall efficiency. This could be done at a large
industrial scale, or at the residential level.” The United States federal government is
already considering proposals to build a fleet of hydrogen refueling stations for the
possible lines of hydrogen powered cars that stand to come to market as early as
2015. If these lines are successful in updating the transportation of the average
American then it is assured that popular opinion will favor the replacement of fossil
fuels powering our electrical grid.
Hydrogen fuel cells offer a safer and more available alternative to
nonrenewable sources used today. They are more easily adaptable to large power
grids, and provide greater source reliability than the popular trends in renewable
energies such as solar, and wind power. It is my hope that this paper has helped to
convince you to do more research on this new technology that may stop the modern
energy crisis, and help to renew our environment.
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Sources Cited:
Siegel, RP. Fuel Cell Energy: Pros and Cons. Triple Pundit, 2012
Publication of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Hydrogen Energy.
Renewable Energy World. 2012