Subject:- Renewable Energy Sources

Topic:- Energy Management

Difficulty:- High

• Basically fuel cell is a device which converts chemical energy from a fuel into electrical energy.

• It happens by undergoing a chemical reaction where positively charged hydrogen ions reacts
with oxygen or any other oxidizing agent.

• The fuel cell consists of two electrodes where the reaction takes place, one is positively charged called anode and the negatively charged called cathode.

• Every fuel cell comprises of an electrolyte and a catalyst to fasten the reaction rate and to mobilise the ions to one electrode to the other.

• A single fuel cell generates a tiny amount of direct current (DC) electricity.

Working of a fuel cell

• At anode catalyst oxidizes the fuel usually hydrogen turning the fuel into positively charged ion and negatively charged electron.

• Electrolyte substance specifically designed so ion can pass through it-electrons cannot

• Free electrons travel through wire creating electric current ions travel through the electrolyte to the cathode.

• One reaching cathode ions reunited with electrons react with third chemical usually oxygen creat water or carbon dioxide .

• The fuel cell produces power through redox reaction between hydrogen is oxidized

According to the reaction

$2H_2+4OH^- ----\gt 4H_2O + 4e^-$

Producing water and releasing two electrons.

• The electrons flow through an external circuit and return to the cathode, reducing oxygen in the reaction.