World Developments of Fuel Cells

Writing in this Journal over a quarter of a century ago, the late Dr. L. B. Hunt suggested that a number of different types of fuel cell would be required in the future to meet the varied requirements of auxiliary power sources, communications, specialised military applications and vehicular propulsion, and that it would be further into the future before fuel cells would be used as a means of primary power generation. Since that time several papers and conference reports on this application of the platinum metals have been printed here, and a significant number of abstracts of work that has appeared elsewhere, have been published. An increasing awareness of the environmental costs resulting from the use of fossil fuels has reinforced efforts to use such fuels in more effective and less polluting ways. This review summarises the present situation world-wide regarding developments in fuel cell technology, current and proposed applications and commercialisation.