A professor at Princeton makes the point that fuel cells are complex devices that may not be well suited for use in cars. He suggests they may be ideal for other application such as power supplementation to wind and solar systems. He also cites the problem of producing hydrogen necessary for fuel cell operation.
If you looked at the sales pitch, they are a nonpolluting, fuel-efficient power method,” said Jay Benziger, professor of chemical engineering. “But there are problems with fuel cells. They don’t function nearly as well as claimed.
His comments don’t sit well with some observers who are committed to a hydrogen future but that does not mean his thoughts are not well founded. Fuel cells are a long way from large scale deployment because of these issues and a great deal of research and development is still required if we plan to move toward a hydrogen economy.
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