"They run about five times more in up-front costs when you compare them with utility-provided power, but there are some technological innovations in the pipeline that will really reduce fuel cell costs," says Joe Bartoszek, facilities manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "Right now, almost any fuel cell you buy is going to be a prototype since they're not mass produced yet."

Operating as a type of battery, a fuel cell consists of an electrolyte adjoined on either side by an electrode. When fuel is fed into the cell, oxygen flows over one electrode and hydrogen over the other, producing electricity. As a result of the chemical reaction, a fuel cell also creates water and heat, which, in building applications, are often put to use for facility heating and cooling. In addition, fuel cells produce no emissions, unlike the power plants (fed by fuels such as natural gas, coal, biomass, etc.) that typically provide much of the electricity feeding the utility grid system.

While it's common for fuel cells to draw on natural gas to create power, they can convert a variety of other fuels to electricity--including propane, marine diesel, carbon dioxide, simulated coal gasification, liquid hydrogen/oxygen, and gas from landfill and wastewater treatment developments. NASA space shuttle flights rely on fuel cells supplied with liquid hydrogen; in addition, the Range Control Center at Florida's Canaveral Air Force Station, a 100,000-sf communications facility, is powered by fuel cells using natural gas.

According to Bartoszek, the cost of investing in a fuel cell system is more than offset by the stable power it produces and the little effort needed to maintain it.

"First of all, you have reliable power with no spikes," he says. "Plus, you're looking at only a week's worth of maintenance every five to seven years. And if you're exposed to hurricanes as we are, fuel cells are invulnerable to these kinds of disasters."

In building applications, fuel cells can come equipped with electronic components that track and provide feedback on the system's performance. Should trouble arise, some cells could be shut down while others continue to operate at peak capacity. Fuel cells also can be monitored remotely, much like automated building control systems.

Despite their technological progress--and their allure in the face of deregulating power markets and potential drop-offs in power supplies and reliability--Bartoszek believes that fuel cells may experience stunted growth during the next few years.

"If President Bush drills for oil in Alaska, the administration is probably not going to encourage new energy technology," Bartoszek says. "They're going to exploit the tried and true. I think it's going to be a slow climb for fuel cells."

--J.M.

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