Fuel cells for buildings program

This paper describes how the U.S. DOE Office of Power Technologies is supporting the development of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) specifically for distributed power and building applications. Today only about one-third of the energy consumed reaches the actual user because of the low energy conversion efficiencies of today's conventional utility power plants. The modular design of fuel cells means that fuel cells can be easily assembled to provide a wide range of power levels and located closer to where the need for power is, including dedicated units for commercial and industrial buildings.