Hydrogen technologies and PEM fuel cells: A sustainable alternative for Chile

Abstract

Severe climate change effects along with the increasing need for countries to become independent from fossil fuels are leading countries to seek more sustainable energy sources. This is not an easy task, as many renewables lack the portability and reduced variability which is required to properly satisfy energy demands. In this context, hydrogen technologies are a promising alternative to work towards this goal. This work presents a brief summary on hydrogen technology properties, focusing in particular on the description of hydrogen cells, their characteristics and main applications. Finally, the operation of a PEM cell is simulated using a computer model, in order to illustrate how these tools can be used to further characterize PEM cell performance when designing hydrogen-based solutions.