Fuels cells: Energy source for the future

The need to design new devices for producing more efficient and clean energ y has been the driving force to develop new technologies and to implement t he already existing ones. Fuel cells are efficient electrochemical devices that produce electricity with very low emissions. The generation of energy with high efficiencies (without limitations of the thermodynamic Carnot cyc le), the best adaptation of this technology to the environment and the bigg est flexibility for using and consuming fuels make fuel cells more competit ive devices, compared to conventional technologies. II is expected to use t hese devices for stationary and road transportation applications, and in po rtable power units for electrical or electronic equipment. Currently the ca rmakers together with fuel cells makers are doing great efforts to introduc e vehicles powered by fuel cells to the market by years 2003-2004. The mass ive commercialization of this type of vehicles is expected to begin by 2006 -2008. At the same time, fuel cells characteristics make these devices exce llent choices for producing combine power and heat in stationary applicatio ns. In this work, we examine fuel cell technologies and its applications. A lso, reasons to promote implementation of fuel cells technology and its cha racteristics and positioning in different applications are discussed.