The Wondrous world of science

Running fuel cells-----on coal!

Fuel cells convert chemical energy into electrical energy that can then be used for various purposes. There are various types of fuel cells available, such as hydrogen cells that generate energy by oxidizing hydrogen with oxygen to form water, generating electricity in the process. The costs of electricity produced by fuel cells has dropped from about $1,000 per kilowatt in 20002 to about $50 per kilowatt presently, and new technologies are being constantly explored to bring down the costs further. Fuel cells are used to run cars and buses, boats and submarines.

Now researchers at Georgia Tech in USA have developed an exciting new type of fuel cell which uses coal gas for its operation. Coal is first gasified and the resulting coal gas then used in the fuel cells. The new fuel cells promise to provide electricity more cheaply and efficiently than hitherto possible.