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Hydrogen

This chemical element is, with no doubt, the energetic resource that will run the world in a close future. Hydrogen doesn’t constitute a source of energy itself, but it is an energetic vector, that is, it can’t be used directly, it must be transformed.

The energetic potential of hydrogen is based on its reaction with oxygen, producing electricity and water as a waste.

Hydrogen can be used as a component for combustion in combined cycles, in catalytic combustion, or as it is mainly used, in fuel cells.

A fuel cell is a device that transforms trough a chemical reaction hydrogen into electricity.

One of the components of the chemical reaction is oxygen and the other ones is hydrogen. The result of the reaction is the production of electricity and water, and other sub products in lower amounts are also produced.

Fuel cells are not batteries that get used up and recharged, but as long as we provide oxygen and hydrogen, they won’t stop producing electricity. In order to make hydrogen react with oxygen in the correct way the process must take place in a proper environment and electrolytes are used. According to the nature of the electrolyte, the fuel cells are classified according to the following table:

Nowadays there is a lot of research going on in areas such as transport and industries. In our province research is being carried out on the use of wind power to produce hydrogen in the research windfarm Sotavento.

It can be noted that some mobile brands have already marketed cell phones using fuel cells.