Hydrogen Fuel Cell

[FastEddie313]

I know how to make the hydrogen, but how do I make the hydrogen make electricity?

How can I DIY make a hydrogen fuel cell to turn my hydrogen into +12V?
That is the intel I am after..

From what I have seen so far it looks like a hydrogen fuel cell just looks to be the same concept as the plates in a battery?

 

[Canine]

Hydrogen takes a lot of energy to make. Instead of using whatever energy source you are using to make hydrogen so that you can make 12 volt electricity, why not skip the middle man and use your initial energy source to convert that directly to DC energy? And the storage issue is a bugger. To get enough hydrogen to be useful, it would need to be compressed into a tank, which would take even more energy.

I know that isn't the question you asked, but I am curious.

Making hydrogen cells is beyond most of us here. Someone may have specific knowledge, though. There are some smart people on here. Not me so much, unfortunately.

Electricity is simply electrons moving across a conductor. If you put hydrogen on one side, a metal plate in the middle, and oxygen on the other side, you have a hydrogen cell. Hydrogen and Oxygen want to combine very badly. They love each other. When the electrons from the hydrogen atoms go across the metal plate to connect with an oxygen molecule, the electrons are making electricity. The final product is water.

 

[John61CT]

You honestly think a DIY solution would be cheaper than just buying a commercially available product?

And asking for advice here is going to get you specifically useful howto advice?

No and no.

 

[John61CT]

If you are in the market, check out the EFOY Comfort fuel cell system, read good things from people I trust.

But fuel is hard to find outside Europe.

 

[FastEddie313]

I wrote an awesome reply last night and it wouldn't let me post it

The gist of it was that anything over 3-4 volts will make into hydrogen so when their isn't enough sun for solar panels to charge batteries you could still be making hydrogen..
You could make hydrogen at night with your solar panels by pointing them at your campfire.
I think it would be neet to make a small steam turbine contraption you could run on a campfire to make electricity to charge batteries or make hydrogen..
A wind turbine would make hydrogen.. If you are by running water a water turbine would make hydrogen..

Anything you can do to make more than 4 volts of electricity you can make hydrogen with so if you have not enough electricity to charge batteries you can still use it to make hydrogen or whatever energy you have after your batteries are charged you can make hydrogen with...

You can only store so much energy in batteries, with a reasonable amount of batteries, a day or 2 worth of electricity max..
With hydrogen you can store a ridiculous amount of energy like a months worth in the same reasonable amount of space and much lighter weight..

 

[John61CT]

Lot of pie in the sky generalities there.

Volts don't matter if amps are near zero.

But when you put together a system that actually works IRL, do please a step by step HowTo back here.

 

[Bud Smiley]

I have real-life experience with hydrogen generation via electrolysis. It's awesome for rust removal. Not very practical for energy use on this scale.

Best of luck to you. I wouldn't go very far down this rabbit hole.

 

[highdesertranger]

making the hydrogen is fairly easy, energy intensive but straightforward. the hard part is capturing it and storing it in useful amounts. highdesertranger