14 Other emissions depend on the source of the hydrogen supply. Using methanol results in zero emission of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide and very small hydrocarbon emissions. Emissions increase going from hydrogen to methanol to gasoline, yet very low emissions would still be achieved using gasoline. In any case, displacing today's conventional internal combustion engines for fuel cells would result in a net decrease of CO 2 and nitrogen oxide emissions. Fuel cells could allow individual residences or neighborhoods to generate most of their own power, and in the process greatly increase energy efficiency.
Fuel cells offer increased reliability and high-quality power.
They are durable, have no movable parts, and generate a steady output of energy. However, further development is needed on fuel cell technology to improve performance, reduce costs, and thus make fuel cells competitive with other energy technologies. It should be noted that, when considering costs of energy technologies, comparisons should be based on all aspects of technology performance, including capital operating costs, emissions of pollutants, power quality, durability, decommissioning, and flexibility. While hydrogen gas is the best fuel, the infrastructure or vehicle base for this does not yet exist. This would eliminate the need for special hydrogen fueling stations, but would require vehicles to have an on-board reformer to convert fossil fuels to hydrogen.