A fuel cell converts a fuel (e.g. hydrogen) and oxygen from the air into electricity. The fuel is fed to the anode and the air is fed to the cathode. In a solid oxide fuel cell, the catalyst at the cathode separates the oxygen molecules into oxygen ions. The oxygen ions pass through a solid electrolyte layer separating the anode and cathode and react with the fuel on the other side forming steam.  The electrons released in this process are transported through an electrical circuit to produce an electrical output.