Since the first practical fuel cell was built in 1930, scientists have been unable to manufacture them in a way that was cost effective. There were a number of reasons for this. Beyond the safety concerns, hydrogen is not readily available in its pure state, nor is there a system for safely distributing it on a mass scale. At the same time, new materials and manufacturing processes have steadily cut down the price of producing the cells themselves. A number of new electrolytes have been developed which use substances like plastics, phosphoric acid and molten carbonates.
Fuel cells have many attributes that minimize their environmental impact.
Even with reformed fuels like methane, prototype fuel cells have met stringent air quality standards. For business and industry, these considerations have suddenly made the fuel cell look like a promising opportunity. Companies ranging from giants like United Technologies to lone garage-based inventors are pushing to refine and widely market the devices, particularly for residential uses. Technologies being developed range from large, stationary fuel cells that might power an entire neighborhood to tiny cells using reformed alcohol to operate laptop computers. Independent electric production is particularly attractive to communications companies, where loss of power can be economically disastrous.