Energy futureDifferent countries offer different approaches to fuel cell R&D
Fuel cell technology is controversial, with some viewing it as holding the promise of a clean, abundant energy source, while others think of it as not much more than charade fooling no one but the uninitiated; different countries have different approaches to the issue
A new study funded by the Swindon, U.K.-based Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) finds that when it comes to investment in fuel cell R&D, all countries are not equal. “Fuel cells are a genuine ‘clean’ technology,” says one of the study’s investigators, Professor Chris Hendry of the Cass Business School, London. “But re-investment in nuclear technology is likely to squeeze out the investment necessary to make fuel cells competitive with existing energy sources and with other non-nuclear alternative energy options.”
The study says that one of the major obstacles to development of fuel cell technology is that it is a disruptive innovation, and disruptive innovations, if successful, eventually overturn the existing product on the market (think: digital camera, compact discs). Disruptive innovations are radically different from the existing dominant technology and, at least at first, are often not as good. The result is that the proponents of existing technology are likely to fear and so resist the new development, and also that funding would be problematic because profits are unlikely to be immediate.
The United Kingdom is comparatively strong in developing hydrogen as a fuel source, reflecting the interests of the oil and gas companies, and in fuel cell components. University research in the United Kingdom has led to the formation of a number of new firms, but the industry supply chain for fuel cells is generally underdeveloped and there have been few efforts by government to support the creation of a market. In contrast, Germany has more medium and large firms along the supply chain as well as technological excellence in engineering and electronics to support the overall design of fuel cell systems. It has energy supply companies committed to testing fuel cells, and there are active government incentives. As a result, Germany has 75 percent of fuel cell installations in Europe. Germany and Japan offer the most favorable conditions for fuel cells in residential combined heat and power and, the authors say, may well become lead countries in technology and market development.
In the typical example of a hydrogen-oxygen proton-exchange membrane (or polymer electrolyte) fuel cell (PEMFC), a proton-conducting polymer membrane (the electrolyte) separates the anode and cathode sides:
