Do hydrogen fuel cells damage the environment?

Emissions of hydrogen lead to increased burdens of methane and ozone and hence to an increase in global warming. Therefore, hydrogen can be considered as an indirect greenhouse gas with the potential to increase global warming.

How do hydrogen cars affect the environment?

Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles emit none of these harmful substances—only water (H2O) and warm air. Because the transportation sector accounts for about one-third of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, using these sources to produce hydrogen for transportation can cut greenhouse gas emissions.

How are hydrogen fuel cells better for the environment?

Hydrogen fuel cells have been widely touted as an environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional fossil fuels. By oxidising molecular hydrogen, the only direct by-product of their energy generation is water, which means they could significantly reduce pollution and man-made greenhouse gases.

How does hydrogen fuel cell help the environment?

Environmental Impact When hydrogen is used to power a fuel cell, the only byproducts are water and heat—no pollutants or greenhouse gases are produced. Even when fossil fuels are used to power a fuel cell the emissions are significantly reduced when compared with conventional fossil fueled generation technologies.

What happens if you take hydrogen out of water?

Making water from its elements produces a large amount of energy. Chemical reactions that produce energy are also called exothermic reactions. In the case of hydrogen and oxygen the released energy is so high that it is almost impossible to control, and most of the time it leads to an explosion.

What happens to water in hydrogen production?

Water reacts at the anode to form oxygen and positively charged hydrogen ions (protons). The electrons flow through an external circuit and the hydrogen ions selectively move across the PEM to the cathode.

Are hydrogen fuel cells bad for the environment?

One often hears that powering vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells will eliminate pollution; that their only emission is water. In this situation water may be a very dangerous pollutant.

Do hydrogen fuel cell vehicles emit more water per mile?

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) emit approximately the same amount of water per mile as vehicles using gasoline-powered internal combustion engines (ICEs).

What happens if you put water in a hydrogen car?

Carrying the water around in the vehicle will greatly reduce the energy efficiency of the vehicle. The water tank would have to be emptied when the hydrogen tank is filled, or more often if it is not large enough to hold all the water produced by the total amount of hydrogen in the fuel tank.

How does a hydrogen fuel cell work?

When hydrogen combines with oxygen to produce water in a fuel cell the hydrogen is taken from a tank carried in the vehicle and the oxygen is taken from the air (as it is in gasoline-combustion vehicles).