How to Make Residential Hydrogen Fuel Cells
- 1). Purchase a hydrogen fuel cell kit from a specialized retailer. Hydrogen fuel cells, like wind turbines and solar panels, produce direct current (DC) voltage on demand. Unlike wind turbines and solar panels, a hydrogen fuel cell is not dependent upon environmental conditions to create power. Consequently, a hydrogen fuel cell is a more reliable alternative energy source. Hydrogen fuel cells are rated by the amount of power created by each fuel cell, or fuel cell stack. Purchase a fuel cell system that is rated for the amount of power generation required in the home.
- 2). Secure a battery bank as an addition to your home's electricity system. A battery bank serves as an energy storage tank that collects the energy produced from the hydrogen fuel cell and stores it until needed.
- 3). Integrate a DC power inverter into your home's electrical system. A DC power inverter converts direct current voltage into alternating current (AC) voltage to power electrical items in the home.
- 4). Integrate a load diverting charge controller into the home's electrical system, between the hydrogen fuel cell and the battery bank. A charge controller manages the electricity that is created and sent to the battery bank. This device protects the batteries from becoming overcharged and sends surplus electricity to other devices in the home or back out to the power grid, creating a surplus balance in the home's energy use.
- 5). Upgrade the home's electrical energy service to accept and process the alternative energy produced by the hydrogen fuel cell. Alternative energy resources such as wind turbines and solar panels have been widely available for decades. Like these devices, hydrogen fuel cells are also easily adapted into the average home's electrical service with the same technology used by solar panels and wind turbines. The result is a smart grid system that utilizes home energy when needed, stores home energy for high load usage, and sends excess energy back out into the power grid.