Because electrochemical fuel cells are two to three times more energy efficient than present day combustion technologies, for example, total air emissions from fuel cell power systems are several orders of magnitude less polluting than today's utilities and vehicles. Brief interruptions that would be acceptable in a toaster or light bulb can lead to costly and prolonged outages in high-speed digital networks. Power quality problems also beset companies that use microprocessors for process control. The American battery industry has lost ground with each new generation of rechargeables. One goal of the Premium Power focused program is to reverse this trend and add between 10 and 20 points of market share to U.S. production.
Fuel cells are two to three times more expensive than current power technology.
Fuel cells could be used to generate power for small villages in areas of the world where it is not practical to construct a power grid. Technology Challenge and Industry Commitment. Several recent research developments in electric power technologies are radical innovations that create a window of opportunity. The goal of the Premium Power focused program is to create more efficient systems for producing, storing, and delivering power for applications without a central generating station and a large-scale power grid. Significance of ATP Funding.