History and current status of hydrogen power generation

Large power stations, whether hydropower, thermal power or nuclear power, send the electricity they generate to the grid, which then delivers it to users. However, the loads of various electricity users are different, and the power grid sometimes has peaks and sometimes troughs. In order to adjust the peak load, power stations in the power grid often need to start up quickly and are more flexible. Hydrogen power generation is the most suitable to play this role.
A newer method of generating hydrogen energy is hydrogen fuel cells. This is a device that uses hydrogen and oxygen (to form air) to directly undergo an electrochemical reaction to generate electrical energy. In other words, it is also the reverse reaction of the water electrolyzer to produce hydrogen and oxygen. Since the 1970s, Japan and the United States and other countries have stepped up research on various fuel cells and have now entered commercial development. Japan has established a 10,000-kilowatt fuel cell power station, and more than 30 manufacturers in the United States are developing fuel cells. Germany, Britain, France, More than 20 companies in the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy and Austria have also invested in fuel cell research. This new method of power generation has attracted world attention.
The simplest principle of a fuel cell is to directly convert the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy without burning. The energy conversion efficiency can reach 60%-80%. It also has less pollution and low noise. The device can be large or small and is very flexible. At first, this kind of power generation device was small and expensive, and was mainly used as a power source in aerospace. Now the price has been significantly reduced and it is gradually turning to ground applications. Currently, there are many types of fuel cells.