Argumentative Essay: The Validity Of Fuel Cells
Regardless of these numerous advantages of fuel cells over outdated batteries, there are still various controversies around the notion of using fuel. Society does not like to change (maybe try using alter or modify instead of change) their conventions. People get attached to certain things or methods of executing tasks and they refuse to give them up. This phenomenon tends to slow down the progress in technology especially the ones that are radically different from its ancestral technology. When considering fuel cells, one of the many doubts that arise in the minds of the general public is about the validity of fuel cells being environmentally clean.
A controversy that revolves around fuel cells is the environmental impact caused during manufacturing. The production of fuel cells requires a massive and unique infrastructure that is inclusive of …show more content…
Although it takes a higher than average energy to isolate hydrogen, one must realize that even extracting gasoline from a well requires an energy input [5]. Fuel cells can be made more efficient than their present state if isolating hydrogen could be made cheaper. A cheaper way to separate hydrogen is electrolysis. Electrolysis includes using electrical current to split the water molecule into its main components - hydrogen and oxygen - and then containing those components as fuel. Here lies the misconception: when introduced to electrolysis, most people think that the electrical current will come from energy produced by fossil fuels. This, however, is far from the truth. Contrary to fuel reforming, electrolysis does not require the use of another fossil fuel to produce hydrogen. Renewable sources of energy can be used to power an electrolyser. Thus, hydrogen separation will cause zero carbon footprints because the use of fossil fuel is completely eradicated. This allows PEMFCs to have a minimal impact on the environment because no greenhouse gases are emitted
A controversy that revolves around fuel cells is the environmental impact caused during manufacturing. The production of fuel cells requires a massive and unique infrastructure that is inclusive of …show more content…
Although it takes a higher than average energy to isolate hydrogen, one must realize that even extracting gasoline from a well requires an energy input [5]. Fuel cells can be made more efficient than their present state if isolating hydrogen could be made cheaper. A cheaper way to separate hydrogen is electrolysis. Electrolysis includes using electrical current to split the water molecule into its main components - hydrogen and oxygen - and then containing those components as fuel. Here lies the misconception: when introduced to electrolysis, most people think that the electrical current will come from energy produced by fossil fuels. This, however, is far from the truth. Contrary to fuel reforming, electrolysis does not require the use of another fossil fuel to produce hydrogen. Renewable sources of energy can be used to power an electrolyser. Thus, hydrogen separation will cause zero carbon footprints because the use of fossil fuel is completely eradicated. This allows PEMFCs to have a minimal impact on the environment because no greenhouse gases are emitted