# Where can I purchase a Hydrogen Cell? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585 "2004-06-28T18:18:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ficer67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/1 "2004-06-28T18:18:16Z")
I would like to purchase a hydrogen cell. Rather simmple. I do not know where I can get one though, so someone give me a clue. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/2 "2004-06-28T18:31:58Z")
Why, [The Fuel Cell Store](http://www.fuelcellstore.com/cgi-bin/fuelweb/view=NavPage/cat=9) of course! Have a nice day! ---
**Author:** ![ozonelover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@ozonelover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ozonelover)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/3 "2004-06-30T17:58:37Z")
> [@Ficer67](#): > > I would like to purchase a hydrogen cell. > > Thanks Do you want to confine hydrogen, make it or burn it. ---
**Author:** ![FX45\_4Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4bbf92/32.png) [@FX45\_4Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FX45_4Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/4 "2004-06-30T18:51:08Z")
Someone enlightend me please… Could one use this in place of a battery or engine? Like a fan at my desk, or a scooter for my daughter? Where does an average joe obtain the fuel? Or get it refilled? ie Hyrdogen? and Don’t say, from the sink either… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/5 "2004-06-30T19:02:13Z")
> [@FX45 4Ever](#): > > Could one use this in place of a battery or engine? Like a fan at my desk, or a scooter for my daughter? Where does an average joe obtain the fuel? Or get it refilled? ie Hyrdogen? and Don’t say, from the sink either… 😉 Or a motor for [a bus](http://www.msnbc.com/news/248093.asp)? \*PART \* of the difficulty in establishing a hydrogen-based transportation system is there is a very limited infrastructure for isolating & distributing hydrogen in quntity the way we are already set up for gasoline. But we HAVE laid powerlines, phone lines & created an incredibly complex system of petrolium distributors, so if we as a society really want it… ---
**Author:** ![kennybath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e68b1a/32.png) [@kennybath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kennybath)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/6 "2004-06-30T19:02:48Z")
> [@FX45 4Ever](#): > > Someone enlightend me please… > Could one use this in place of a battery or engine? Like a fan at my desk, or a scooter for my daughter? Where does an average joe obtain the fuel? Or get it refilled? ie Hyrdogen? and Don’t say, from the sink either… 😉 I don’t think they have widespread applications for fuel cells yet. So you can’t get one for random uses. They are also very expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/7 "2004-06-30T19:06:00Z")
> [@FX45 4Ever](#): > > Someone enlightend me please… > Could one use this in place of a battery or engine? Like a fan at my desk, or a scooter for my daughter? Where does an average joe obtain the fuel? Or get it refilled? ie Hyrdogen? and Don’t say, from the sink either… 😉 A fuel cell is a sort of battery. That is, it generates electricity from a chemical reaction, in this case it’s combining hydrogen with atmospheric oxygen to produce water. In some fuel cells, the hydrogen isn’t provided in the form of the raw element, but rather as part of a hydrocarbon, such as an alcohol; or other hydrogen-rich substance, like methane and an additional step is needed to separate out the hydrogen: > [@](#): > > Hydrogen is difficult to store and distribute, so it would be much more convenient if fuel cells could use fuels that are more readily available. This problem is addressed by a device called a reformer. A reformer turns hydrocarbon or alcohol fuels into hydrogen, which is then fed to the fuel cell. Unfortunately, reformers are not perfect. They generate heat and produce other gases besides hydrogen. They use various devices to try to clean up the hydrogen, but even so, the hydrogen that comes out of them is not pure, and this lowers the efficiency of the fuel cell. > > Some of the more promising fuels are natural gas, propane and methanol. Many people have natural-gas lines or propane tanks at their house already, so these fuels are the most likely to be used for home fuel cells. Methanol is a liquid fuel that has similar properties to gasoline. It is just as easy to transport and distribute, so methanol may be a likely candidate to power fuel-cell cars. From [How Stuff Works](http://science.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/8 "2004-06-30T20:03:33Z")
> [@FX45 4Ever](#): > > Someone enlightend me please… > Could one use this in place of a battery or engine? Like a fan at my desk, or a scooter for my daughter? Where does an average joe obtain the fuel? Or get it refilled? ie Hyrdogen? and Don’t say, from the sink either… 😉 [Duuuuuuuuuuude!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=264202) Yeah, buddy, I think I know where we can get some fuel. Adds a whole new dimension to “scooter.” ---
**Author:** ![Ficer67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/9 "2004-07-05T03:17:17Z")
Sorry I haven’t replied in a while, but I have been working on a tremendous home repair project. Onward, I would like a hydrogen cell that would generate about 6000watts of electriciy. My intention is to power my house on the energy generated by the hydrogen cell. So small scale demonstration projects are not what I need. The fuel stack for a car or buss is more along the lines of what I need. Also, I need to figure out how much hydrogen it would take to generate this kind of energy. If anyone can give me a clue it would be much appreciated. Thanks Ficer67 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/10 "2004-07-05T03:23:12Z")
6 kilowatts?? Yikes! Well, you can try [here](http://www.anuvu.com/fce.html), but you’ll probably pay through the nose. It’s also likely that the cost of fuel per kilowatt-hour will exceed the cost of getting your energy from your local power grid. I don’t think these things are cost-effective for residential use yet. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/11 "2004-07-05T03:57:20Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > 6 kilowatts?? Yikes! Well, you can try [here](http://www.anuvu.com/fce.html), but you’ll probably pay through the nose. It’s also likely that the cost of fuel per kilowatt-hour will exceed the cost of getting your energy from your local power grid. I don’t think these things are cost-effective for residential use yet. [They’re not.](http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/fuelcells/) > [@](#): > > The primary reason is cost. Fuel cells developed for the space program in the 1960s and 1970s were extremely expensive and impractical for terrestrial power applications. During the past three decades, significant efforts have been made to develop more practical and affordable designs for stationary power applications. But progress has been slow. Today, the most widely marketed fuel cells cost about $4,500 per kilowatt; by contrast, a diesel generator costs $800 to $1,500 per kilowatt, and a natural gas turbine can be even less. Of course, that doesn’t include the cost of the fuel. If you want to try and make your own hydrogen, I recommend [this book.](http://lindsaybks.com/bks/hydrogen/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/12 "2004-07-05T15:45:28Z")
> [@Ficer67](#): > > I would like a hydrogen cell that would generate about 6000watts of electriciy. My intention is to power my house on the energy generated by the hydrogen cell. If anyone can give me a clue it would be much appreciated. > Thanks, Ficer67 Forget the whole idea. Unless you have MONEY TO BURN you can’t afford to even think about such a scheme. As a matter of fact you probably could burn Money cheaper! ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-purchase-a-hydrogen-cell/252585/13 "2004-07-06T14:33:06Z")
It’s not a crazy idea if your house is far from power lines. Fuel cells are not competitive with grid power, if power lines are already nearby. But they are in many ways competitive with diesel generators or small gas turbines. In fact, fuel cells are fairly common as back-up generators. In addition to being more fuel-efficient than a diesel or small gas turbine, they also have few moving parts, a huge maintenance and reliability advanatage. This makes them a good deal for companies that lose huge amounts of money with any power outage. This makes them a good choice also for something far from power lines. It’s not cheap to run power lines for miles, so some kind of on-site generator will often be far cheaper. While a diesel generator or even small gas turbine is cheaper to buy initially than a fuel cell, a fuel cell will be more efficient, so it is cheaper to run. Of course, you won’t be buying pure hydrogen; your cell will run on natural gas or some other fossil fuel that you buy somewhere. So if your house is on top of a mountain, on an island, or in some other place far from a power line, a fuel cell could well make economic sense (or be close enough that the coolness factor is worth the extra investment). There are plenty of companies making and selling them. I think you pretty much mostly buy them from the manufacturer at this point, though if there’s some kind of energy efficiency/consulting firm in your area, they may be able to make recommendations and find what you’re looking for. I’d Google for fuel cell manufacturers and see what you can find.