With reference to ‘fuel cells’ in which hydrogen-rich fuel and oxygen

With reference to ‘fuel cells’ in which hydrogen-rich fuel and oxygen are used to generate electricity, consider the following statements :

  • 1. If pure hydrogen is used as a fuel, the fuel cell emits heat and water as by-products.
  • 2. Fuel cells can be used for powering buildings and not for small devices like laptop computers.
  • 3. Fuel cells produce electricity in the form of Alternating Current (AC).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2015
Only statement 1 is correct.
In a hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen reacts with oxygen to produce electricity, water, and heat. This process is efficient and produces only water and heat as by-products when pure hydrogen is used.
Statement 2 is incorrect because fuel cells are highly scalable and can power everything from large buildings, vehicles, and grid-level energy storage to small devices like laptops and mobile phones. Statement 3 is incorrect because fuel cells generate Direct Current (DC) electricity. An inverter is required to convert the DC output to Alternating Current (AC) if needed for applications requiring AC.