Fuel cells are electrochemical devi

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert the chemical energy of the reactants directly into electricity and heat with high efficiency. They generate electricity continuously, as long as there is a source of fuel. The one-step nature of this process from chemical to electrical energy has several advantages over conventional power generation methods, which have multiple steps from chemical to thermal to mechanical to electrical energy. The potential advantages include high efficiency with combined heat, cooling and power (electrical efficiency of up to 60%, combined efficiency in cogeneration of more than 90%), high power density, small carbon footprint, low emissions, low noise and high-quality power. Fuel cells integrated with coal-fired power plant could produce concentrated CO2 ready for capture. They are modular in nature and do not suffer large energy penalties when scaled down to a small size.