| The little powerhouses known as fuel cells have | | | | work with and support businesses and private |
| been receiving much attention lately in the United | | | | citizens in their efforts to reduce carbon |
| Kingdom. Constructed of a reactive material | | | | emissions. According to their research, the UK has |
| sandwiched between an anode and cathode, fuel | | | | great potential to develop fuel cell technology at |
| cells could reduce our dependency on batteries, | | | | an affordable rate, bringing commercialization of |
| thereby reducing the amount of acidic and harmful | | | | this renewable energy that much closer. Carbon |
| waste produced by the batteries upon disposal. It | | | | Trust put forth what they term the Polymer Fuel |
| is possible, with additional development, to power | | | | Cells Challenge to leading businesses in the |
| vehicles with these cells as well. Furthermore, | | | | renewable energy field. Interested developers |
| most current fuel create power using hydrogen | | | | sent letters of interest to Carbon Trust and |
| and oxygen, leaving water as its only emission. | | | | select associations were chosen to submit |
| Not only do these devices utilize renewable | | | | proposals for new and affordable fuel technology |
| energy in power generation, they give off | | | | by April of 2010. Carbon Trust is willing to supply |
| renewable energy in the form of water. | | | | up to £8 million to provide for the program's |
| Worldwide, many critics claim that fuel cell | | | | success. |
| technology requires too much money to make it | | | | While these initiatives demonstrate that fuel usage |
| commercially viable. Some firms in the United | | | | in the United Kingdom still has plenty of room to |
| Kingdom, however, are taking the matter into | | | | grow, it should not be assumed that the |
| their own hands and raising funds for research | | | | renewable energy source is not already in place. In |
| and development, quieting some of the | | | | fact, more than 14,000 cells have been sold |
| naysayers. Intelligent Energy, a cell developer | | | | internationally in the transportation market, |
| based in Loughborough, England, raised $13.6 million | | | | powering specialized vehicles such as forklifts. |
| in 2008 to further cell technology. Last year, the | | | | 75% of such cells produced between 2008 and |
| firm raised an additional $30 million. To date, | | | | 2009 were assembled in Europe, including the |
| Intelligent Energy has raised $130 million in its | | | | United Kingdom. |
| effort to bring the renewable energy of cells to | | | | With an already strong foundation and millions of |
| the commercial stage. | | | | dollars being poured into the technology, the |
| Another United Kingdom-based body promoting a | | | | United Kingdom is becoming a leader in fuel cell |
| low carbon environment through cell usage is the | | | | and renewable energy technology. |
| Carbon Trust. This non-profit trust's goal is to | | | | |