What is a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell?
IdaTech uses PEM technology in its fuel cells because it has demonstrated the greatest potential to achieve low cost, fast response time, high reliability and long life in a compact and light-weight package. Fuel cell systems based on PEM fuel cell stacks are the most mature and most widely used and commonly deployed systems in the industry. A PEM fuel cell is comprised of two adjacent chambers—the anode side and the cathode side—separated by a membrane. Hydrogen gas from the fuel processor enters the anode side of the fuel cell where the atoms react with a platinum catalyst on the membrane, releasing their electrons. The anode chamber then becomes flooded with free electrons and with hydrogen protons (hydrogen atoms stripped of their electrons). The positively charged hydrogen protons pass through the membrane into the cathode side of the fuel cell. The electrons exit the anode side of the fuel cell and flow into an external electrical circuit. After running through the circuit, the e
