Comparative Study of Different Fuel Cell Technologies

A fuel cell is a technology that converts chemical energy into electric energy through electrochemical reaction which happens between oxygen and hydrogen to form of water. This is a big improvement over internal combustion engines, coal burning power plants, and nuclear power plants, all of which produce harmful by-products. Fuel cell technology is a promising way to provide energy for rural areas where there is no access to the public grid or where there is a huge cost of wiring and transferring electricity. There are several types of fuel cells currently under development, each with its own advantages, limitations and potential applications. The current paper includes a comparative study of basic design, working principle, applications, advantages and disadvantages of various technologies available for fuel cells. In addition, techno-economic features of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCV) and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) are compared