Lithium ion batteries are turning landfills into matters of concern for the environment. These batteries are used widely in gadgets. Thinking on these lines, electronic companies are banking hugely on eco-friendly and convenient alternative to these traditional lithium ion batteries – leading them to promote fuel cells.
The laptop batteries used today can easily be supplemented with the fuel cells. Fuel cells do not store power, but generate electricity by breaking down methanol – the process used is an electrochemical one. You must be thinking on how to recharge them! Just top-up them with methanol from a cartridge.
This environment-friendly technology is just around the corner to be in the market, with Toshiba, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Samsung and Sanyo ready with the prototypes. For example, Toshiba’s, fuel cell development for PCs that started about four years ago, will be commercialized next year, according to Tomoaki Arimura of Toshiba’s Methanol Fuel Cell Group.
Via: BBC News
