Ballard Fuel Cells

1. Ballard Fuel Cells Numbers 26-31

2. What are Ballard Fuel cells? • A Ballard fuel cell converts the chemical energy in hydrogen and oxygen into direct current electrical energy by electrochemical reactions. Fuel cells are devices that convert hydrogen gas directly into low-voltage, direct current electricity In simpler words it is: a device that produces a continuous electric current directly from thehydrogen by oxygen.

3. How it works: A Ballard fuel cell produces a DC (direct current) voltage that can be used directly or converted to AC (alternating current) to power lights, motors and electrical appliances. Other fuels cells can produce enough energy to power utility plants and automobiles. Here is a video so it would make more sense: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yowRvfFtMgQ&feature=related

4. Where its used: • Ballard fuel cells, are used in the following: • Automobiles such as trucks, buses, and cars • T.V’S • And more

5. How much it costs: • Currently, ballard fuel cells can cost up to 5 times more to build than the cost of generating electricity from coal or natural gas.

6. Environmental and health concerns about Ballard fuel cells: • Ballard Fuel cells are the ultimate power provider. They are clean, quiet, and efficient, and operate continuously as long as fuel is supplied. Fuel cells have no moving parts; therefore they have excellent reliability and long operating lives. • It also is clean, efficient energy source for all of your power needs! • Ballard Fuel cell systems can use a lot of fuels such as natural gas, methanol, gasoline and hydrogen. They have high power mass, enough to power a car or a kind of vehicle, and the refueling ease of an ICE.

7. Reliability: • Ballard fuel cells are not health or environmental concerns. Ballard fuel cells are even better then gasoline and diesel, the only bad thing is the chemicals they use to make fuel cells can cause pollution.

8. How much of Canada’s energy comes form the source and how much more could come from it: • Ballard Fuel cells generate electricity much more efficiently and with much lower emissions than conventional power sources such as internal combustion car engines and large power generating stations. Generating and using electricity is a hot topic these days – often, it involves burning natural gas or coal in power plants, which generate harmful greenhouse gases and pollution.

9. Advantages: • Something that is good about a fuel cell is, it’s similar to a battery which contains chemicals in it that produces electricity as a power source. The difference is that the battery ends up useless or dead as soon as all of its power is consumed, while the fuel cell can go on as long as chemicals which produces electricity actively flows inside it. Its basic fuel is hydrogen and oxygen, and as long as these two chemicals are continuously flowing into the fuel cell, it will be assured of a very long life expectancy.

10. Disadvantages: • There are two main issues with fuel cell technology today. This first is cost. Currently, fuel cells can cost up to 5 times more to build than the cost of generating electricity from coal or natural gas. Conventional power plants cost about $800 per kilowatt to build, while a fuel cell power plant can cost over $2,000 per kilowatt. • One disadvantage would be, hydrogen has to be produced using coal, natural gas and oil, it does not really solve the need issues and its storage and moving may in some way lead to pollution.

11. Video!

12. The End! We hope you learned more about fuel cells! This is the end of our presentation! Bye!