But with the energy crisis, the technology is becoming more appreciated. The fuel cell at the Hyatt is the best kept secret in Irvine, and in the state. The technology is about 150 years old, but it wasn't until World War II when the most useful fuel cells were first built. NASA financed fuel cell projects throughout the 1960s and '70s for spacecraft, and they started becoming commercially available within the last decade. With the energy crunch, Samuelsen predicts they will be installed in individual homes within the next five years.
Fuel cells are among the cleanest and most efficient producers of electricity.
They combine fuel such as natural gas with air to produce electrical energy, using electrochemistry instead of combustion, says Samuelsen. Natural gas is turned into carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which reacts to make electricity and heat. This happens more efficiently and because the cells are placed at the site for which they will be producing power, the energy and fuel do not have to be exhausted into the atmosphere, and through utility lines, to get to a final destination. With conventional power plants, Samuelsen said about 50 percent of the power generated is lost to the atmosphere. If the energy producer is in the building, the waste heat can be used to heat the building, or water heater, and can even be used for cooling.