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FuelCell Falls as Alternative Energy Fad Fades

A fuel cell is not an alternative energy source. In fact a fuel cell is not a source of energy at all. It is an energy converter. It burns hydrocarbons or hydrogen. If hydrogen, then that hydrogen must be manufactured. Potentially hydrogen could be manufactured from wind power or solar cell, but currently hydrogen is likely to be manufactured from power supplied by the existing electrical grid, which likely means burning more hydrocarbons—coal or natural gas. As a fuel cell only exchanges chemical energy for electrical, it is subject to the inflexible laws of thermodynamics. Roughly stated as I recall, “There is no free lunch.” That is, the energy cost of manufacturing hydrogen will always be greater than the energy recoverable by burning that hydrogen in a fuel cell. Unless a true alternative energy source—wind or solar—is used to manufacture the hydrogen initially, that is.