New Electronic Technology Advances Fuel Cell Development

Washington, DC (Feb. 9, 2005) — With the U.S. Department of Energy’s announcement of yet another advance in the development of fuel cell technology, the nation moves one step closer to the time when all barriers—including cost, size, and efficiency—are overcome to make fuel cells commonplace in our homes and businesses.
Researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, working under a research grant managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory, developed a highly efficient converter that can boost low DC (direct current) voltage produced by solid oxide fuel cell stacks to the higher voltage required for conversion to AC (alternating current) for household and commercial applications. The boost is significant because it provides another technological step in reducing the efficiency, size, and cost of fuel cells.

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