Phoenix, AZ
– A hydrogen-based economy? Laptops and cell phones powered by lightweight,
inexpensive rechargeable fuel cells? Automobiles that run on methane and
emit virtually no pollutants into the atmosphere? All this is possible
- and coming sooner than you may think – acccording to a report on fuel
cells just published by Energy Business Reports, an energy industry think
tank.
Over the next decade, fuel cell
demand will likely increase due to high petroleum prices and continued
environmental concerns, says EBR. The global commercial fuel cell market
is expected to reach $2.5 billion by 2009. Electric power generation is
emerging as a large-scale commercial market for fuel cells and is expected
to represent more than half of all demand in 2008. Aerospace and motor
vehicle applications may lag somewhat in the near term, but are projected
to grow rapidly between 2008 and 2013. The portable electronics market
is expected to report the strongest advances over the next decade.
The electrical capacity of batteries
has not kept pace with the increasing power consumption requirements of
electronic devices. These limitations have generated enormous interest
in alternative power sources, and the fuel cell is the most promising candidate.
When micro fuel cells are commercialized,
they may provide improvements in energy storage and allow electronic devices
to incorporate new features and lengthen their operating times. Users will
also be able to "reload" in a few seconds by replacing the fuel cartridge.
Various environmental and economic
factors continue to drive the need to develop fuel cells, including the
cost and availability of oil, energy security, climate change and environmental
quality. For more information on the report, visit EngergyBusinessReports.com.
|
Stay
Updated every week With a Free Subscription To "Inside
The Industry"As Well as a Weekly Updated Patents Page
