What is a Fuel Cell?

Fuel cells are one of the most promising technologies to come out of the space program and have been used for decades to power spacecraft and satellites.

Fuel cells convert hydrogen gas to electricity with no pollution or harmful by-products. In a pure hydrogen fuel cell, the only by-product of electric generation is water vapor and heat.

Fuel cells are a perfect technology for cogeneration, where the waste heat produced during electric generation is captured for reuse.

As with any new technology, fuel cells have a few problems still to be worked out. First, they are too expensive; future commercialization of the technology and mass-production will lower unit costs, but for now, they are simply not cost-effective. Second, most fuel cells run on hydrogen gas, which is not commonly available. There are a variety of fuel cells in development that run on natural gas; these are less efficient than pure hydrogen based cells and produce some pollution, just as internal combustion engines do. Ideally, a hydrogen delivery infrastructure must be created.

Flexible Energy is working with several fuel cell technologies to test their commercial feasibility. We believe that fuel cells represent the power of the future and are actively involved in their commercialization.

Despite the promise (and the hype), a commercially viable fuel cell is a few years away.

What to do in the meantime?

Flexible Energy, working together with leaders in the field, has created an excellent opportunity for your organization to realize substantial energy savings today while preparing your facility for fuel cells in the future. We offer solutions based on cost-effective, proven, technologies with built-in fuel cell upgradability. By installing today's proven technology, you'll cut your energy costs and put in place the infrastructure to take full advantage of fuel cells when they become viable.

We are also seeking qualified organizations interested in taking advantage of government subsidized fuel-cell programs.

To find out what technologies makes sense for your facility, makes sense for your facility, complete this form. If you have questions, feel free to contact us at 805-649-4889 or