Page 290 - Alternative Energy Systems in Building Design

264 FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY

and oxygen molecules from water. Hydrogen and oxygen are fed into a fuel cell,
which in addition to generating electricity produces heat and water. At present, NASA
is researching the technology for space applications and for use as a stationary auxiliary
power unit.

BENEFITS OF FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY
It is estimated that the fuel cell market within the next decade could exceed $20 billion
worldwide. In addition to expanding the market for alternative electrical energy, a
significant percentage of the millions of vehicles produced annually throughout the
world, which use internal combustion, will be converted through hybrid technology. It
is also believed that the demand for fuel cells by the transportation industry within the
next decade will increase annually by an additional $15 billion. In the United States,
passenger vehicles alone consume over 6 million barrels of oil every day, which
represents 85 percent of our oil imports.
If only 25 percent of vehicles could operate with fuel cells, oil imports could be
reduced by 1.8 billion barrels a day, or about 650 billion barrels a year, eliminating an
unfavorable balance of trade and considerable amounts of air pollution. Furthermore,
if each vehicle produced in the future was designed to operate on fuel cells, the country’s
electric power-generation capacity would increase by 200 percent.
The DOE estimates that if only 10 percent of the nation’s vehicles were powered by
fuel cells, yearly imports of crude oil would be reduced by about 13 percent, or 800,000
barrels. The production of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, additionally would
be reduced by 60 tons, and air pollution particulates would be reduced by 1 million tons.

IMPACT OF FUEL CELLS ON THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
In view of the wide-ranging applications of the technology in markets, including steel
production, electric power generation, and the vehicle and transportation industries,
fuel cells could have a significant impact on the global economy because they could
provide employment for tens of thousands of people with high-quality jobs.
It is estimated that each 1000 mW of fuel cell energy production will create 5000
new jobs, and if only 25 percent of cars in the nation were to use the technology, jobs
created would exceed 1 million, which will have a significantly positive impact on the
U.S. gross national product.

CALIFORNIA FUEL CELL PARTNERSHIP
The California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) includes among its members the South
Coast Air Quality Management District and a collaboration of auto manufacturers, fuel
suppliers, fuel cell manufacturers, and state governments. Headquartered in Sacramento,
the CaFC demonstrates and tests fuel cell vehicles under everyday conditions, investi-
gates the viability of site-infrastructure technology, promotes public awareness of pre-
membrane fuel cell–powered vehicles, and explores the path to commercialization
through ideas for solutions to these problems.