FAQs

Ballard FAQs

• What is a fuel cell?

  A fuel cell combines hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to produce electrical energy efficiently, quietly and reliably. The only by-products are water and heat. Watch this animation to see how a fuel cell works.

  Fuel cells produce electricity without combustion, which means that, unlike internal combustion engines, they generate little (if any) noise, vibration, air pollution, or greenhouse gasses and operate at high efficiency over a wide range of loads.

  Unlike batteries, fuel cells do not have a need for replacement or lengthy recharging when its fuel is spent. Additionally, since fuel cells store their fuel in external storage tanks, the maximum operating range of a fuel cell-powered device is limited only by the amount of fuel that can be carried.

  
  
  

• What is the difference between Ballard's proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology and others, such as solid oxide and phosphoric acid?

  PEM fuel cells use a solid polymer membrane (a thin plastic film) as an electrolyte, rather than a liquid or high-temperature ceramic. PEM fuel cells are compact and produce a powerful electric current relative to their size. Unlike other technologies PEM fuel cells operate at a low temperature (less than 100 degrees Celsius or 212 degrees Fahrenheit), which allows for faster start-up and rapid response to changes in the demand for power (load following), are ideally suited to both motive and stationary applications.

• Where does hydrogen fuel come from?

  There is flexibility in how hydrogen is created, depending on what feedstock and power sources are available. Hydrogen can be produced in large amounts from primary energy sources, such as fossil fuels (coal, oil, or natural gas), as a by-product from a variety of chemical processes (chlor-alkali, refinery products) and from alternative resources such as biomass, biogas, and waste materials. Hydrogen can also be produced by water electrolysis, which uses electricity from renewable sources, such as wind or solar, to split hydrogen and oxygen elements. Hydrocarbon fuels such as natural gas, butane, methanol, gasoline and others can be used in conjunction with a fuel processor, which extracts a hydrogen stream from the original fuel.