element14 Community
element14 Community
    Register Log In
  • Site
  • Search
  • Log In Register
  • Community Hub
    Community Hub
    • What's New on element14
    • Feedback and Support
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Personal Blogs
    • Members Area
    • Achievement Levels
  • Learn
    Learn
    • Ask an Expert
    • eBooks
    • element14 presents
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Spotlight
    • STEM Academy
    • Webinars, Training and Events
    • Learning Groups
  • Technologies
    Technologies
    • 3D Printing
    • FPGA
    • Industrial Automation
    • Internet of Things
    • Power & Energy
    • Sensors
    • Technology Groups
  • Challenges & Projects
    Challenges & Projects
    • Design Challenges
    • element14 presents Projects
    • Project14
    • Arduino Projects
    • Raspberry Pi Projects
    • Project Groups
  • Products
    Products
    • Arduino
    • Avnet & Tria Boards Community
    • Dev Tools
    • Manufacturers
    • Multicomp Pro
    • Product Groups
    • Raspberry Pi
    • RoadTests & Reviews
  • About Us
  • Store
    Store
    • Visit Your Store
    • Choose another store...
      • Europe
      •  Austria (German)
      •  Belgium (Dutch, French)
      •  Bulgaria (Bulgarian)
      •  Czech Republic (Czech)
      •  Denmark (Danish)
      •  Estonia (Estonian)
      •  Finland (Finnish)
      •  France (French)
      •  Germany (German)
      •  Hungary (Hungarian)
      •  Ireland
      •  Israel
      •  Italy (Italian)
      •  Latvia (Latvian)
      •  
      •  Lithuania (Lithuanian)
      •  Netherlands (Dutch)
      •  Norway (Norwegian)
      •  Poland (Polish)
      •  Portugal (Portuguese)
      •  Romania (Romanian)
      •  Russia (Russian)
      •  Slovakia (Slovak)
      •  Slovenia (Slovenian)
      •  Spain (Spanish)
      •  Sweden (Swedish)
      •  Switzerland(German, French)
      •  Turkey (Turkish)
      •  United Kingdom
      • Asia Pacific
      •  Australia
      •  China
      •  Hong Kong
      •  India
      • Japan
      •  Korea (Korean)
      •  Malaysia
      •  New Zealand
      •  Philippines
      •  Singapore
      •  Taiwan
      •  Thailand (Thai)
      • Vietnam
      • Americas
      •  Brazil (Portuguese)
      •  Canada
      •  Mexico (Spanish)
      •  United States
      Can't find the country/region you're looking for? Visit our export site or find a local distributor.
  • Translate
  • Profile
  • Settings
Business of Engineering
  • Technologies
  • More
Business of Engineering
Blog Fuel Cells: The Green Energy for Portable Devices
  • Blog
  • Forum
  • Documents
  • Quiz
  • Events
  • Polls
  • Files
  • Members
  • Mentions
  • Sub-Groups
  • Tags
  • More
  • Cancel
  • New
Join Business of Engineering to participate - click to join for free!
  • Share
  • More
  • Cancel
Group Actions
  • Group RSS
  • More
  • Cancel
Engagement
  • Author Author: Catwell
  • Date Created: 26 Feb 2018 5:07 PM Date Created
  • Views 1254 views
  • Likes 1 like
  • Comments 6 comments
  • smartphone
  • portable devices
  • power industry
  • battery
  • cabeatwell
  • fuel cell
  • energy_power
Related
Recommended

Fuel Cells: The Green Energy for Portable Devices

Catwell
Catwell
26 Feb 2018

image

A Swedish tech company specialized in power gap solutions, is bringing to users of portable devices a new type of battery that is greener than the ones currently used. (Fuel cell LAMINA by MyFC)

 

Power gap, the difference between the amount of energy available and the amount of energy needed, could be the responsible for much of the struggle with smart devices battery. Every smartphone user has certainly experienced the rapid loss of power characteristic of those devices. It feels as if the smarter the device, the more charging its battery needs.

 

Some coffee shops have even installed instant charging stations at their tables to make it easier for customers to use their phones and tablets. The world has also seen an increase in production of power banks as if there was an unspoken understanding that portable devices will never have enough power to function more than 24 hours; if they even last that long. Unfortunately, the combustion based energy pollutes more the environment than it helps protect it. That would explain the study of greener sources of energy; one of them being the Fuel Cells.

 

A fuel cell, as opposed to usual batteries, uses hydrogen to create energy. The cell is composed of an electrolyte contained between an anode and a cathode. Energy is generated from a electrochemical reaction, in this case hydrogen goes through an oxidation reaction causing a flow of protons and electrons between the anode and cathode. The advantage of this system is that it produces electricity for as long as the electrolyte as well as air are available. With that feature, fuel cells might be the “immortal” battery. As more research is conducted to expand the applications of the fuel cells, a company from Sweden, MyFC, is out trying to take over the world with its fuel cell designed for smartphones and other mobile devices.

 

MyFC’s chief executive officer, Bjorn Westerholm predicts that the company’s fuel cell, LAMINA, will beat other batteries by the end of the year 2020. Based on his predictions, the world can expect lighter smartphones as fuel cells replace generic batteries. In addition, LAMINA might help reduce the cost of mobile devices since MyFC is working on lowering the overhead costs related to the production of the fuel cells. Furthermore, LAMINA is said to produce more energy than generic batteries.

 

Now with the expansion of fuel cells, maybe it is a revolution in the industry of energy that is in the making. Fuel cells could power cars and many other tools that require a generic batteries at the moment. Besides solving the energy gap, fuel cells are also reliable in the sense that they present no danger to users. More importantly, fuel cells might also be a viable tool to reduce the carbon footprint associated with the use of generic batteries including power banks; even more reason to get excited about the introduction of the fuel cells.

 

Have a story tip? Message me at: cabe(at)element14(dot)com

http://twitter.com/Cabe_Atwell

  • Sign in to reply

Top Comments

  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave over 7 years ago in reply to genebren +1
    No need to charge, just stop in and get a fill-up of hydrogen. Hmmm... and the main source of industrial hydrogen is from... ?
  • genebren
    genebren over 7 years ago in reply to beacon_dave +1
    Dave, True the main sources of hydrogen are from the petrochemical world, but there are some promising methods of generating hydrogen from bio-sources. I feel that there is a place for fuel cells in our…
  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave over 7 years ago in reply to genebren +1
    I feel that there is a place for fuel cells in our energy picture, it will just take time and development to understand it's role (cars and portable devices?). I think Fischertechnik would agree there…
  • DAB
    DAB over 7 years ago

    I have watched fuel cells since the old days when NASA used them for Gemini and Apollo missions.

    While attractive, cost and robustness has not been achievable over the last fifty years or so.

     

    There is also an issue with the longevity of using fuel cells.  There is still a chemical breakdown component with the anode and cathode materials, which is why batteries continue to dominate.

     

    DAB

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up 0 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • More
    • Cancel
  • genebren
    genebren over 7 years ago in reply to beacon_dave

    Dave,

     

    As much as I love the concept of fuel cells (and I have worked with fuel cell companies as clients), I have still not broken down and bought one of those kits.  I have nearly 100 robot kits that I have collected and not a single fuel cell powered one in the bunch. Hard to explain.

     

    Gene

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up 0 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • More
    • Cancel
  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave over 7 years ago in reply to genebren

    I feel that there is a place for fuel cells in our energy picture, it will just take time and development to understand it's role (cars and portable devices?).

     

    I think Fischertechnik would agree there:

    https://content.ugfischer.com/cbfiles/fischer/produktbilder/ft/520401_FuelCellKit_Solartankstelle_mit_Brennstoffzellenau…

     

    Part of their 'PROFI Fuel Cell Kit' which they launched a few years ago:

    https://www.fischertechnik.de/en/products/playing/profi/520401-profi-fuel-cell-kit

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • More
    • Cancel
  • genebren
    genebren over 7 years ago in reply to beacon_dave

    Dave,

    True the main sources of hydrogen are from the petrochemical world, but there are some promising methods of generating hydrogen from bio-sources.  I feel that there is a place for fuel cells in our energy picture, it will just take time and development to understand it's role (cars and portable devices?).

    Gene

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • More
    • Cancel
  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave over 7 years ago in reply to genebren

    No need to charge, just stop in and get a fill-up of hydrogen.

    Hmmm... and the main source of industrial hydrogen is from... ?

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • More
    • Cancel
>
element14 Community

element14 is the first online community specifically for engineers. Connect with your peers and get expert answers to your questions.

  • Members
  • Learn
  • Technologies
  • Challenges & Projects
  • Products
  • Store
  • About Us
  • Feedback & Support
  • FAQs
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal and Copyright Notices
  • Sitemap
  • Cookies

An Avnet Company © 2026 Premier Farnell Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Premier Farnell Ltd, registered in England and Wales (no 00876412), registered office: Farnell House, Forge Lane, Leeds LS12 2NE.

ICP 备案号 10220084.

Follow element14

  • X
  • Facebook
  • linkedin
  • YouTube