Oct 13, 2023
By converting potential chemical energy directly into electrical energy, fuel cells avoid a thermal bottleneck (a consequence of the second law of thermodynamics) & are therefore inherently more efficient than combustion engines, which must first convert potential chemical energy into heat, then into mechanical work.
Pure water comes out of the system’s exhaust pipe, with no emissions of particulate matter or other gases, with a significant environmental advantage over an internal combustion engine.
Fuel cells have few moving parts, which increases reliability and reduces maintenance, compared to an internal combustion engine.
When hydrogen is generated from renewable electricity sources, such as wind, solar or hydropower, the related CO2 emissions are extremely low.