Fuel cells are a family of technologies that generate electricity through electrochemical processes, rather than combustion. There are many fuel cell types, but the principal ones include the alkaline fuel cell (AFC), proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell, direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC), and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). A number of these fuel cell types are commercially available today. Each fuel cell type has its own unique chemistry, such as different operating temperatures, catalysts, and electrolytes. A fuel cell’s operating characteristics help define its application – for example, lower temperature PEM and DMFC fuel cells are used to power passenger vehicles and forklifts, while larger, higher temperature MCFC and PAFC fuel cells are used for stationary power generation. Researchers continue to improve fuel cell technologies, examining different catalysts and electrolytes in order to improve per