FUEL FOR THOUGHT
“The centralized nature of our nation’s power system means that a relatively small amount of damage can cause extensive outages,” Cranmer explains, noting that the entire continent of North America is powered by two major and three minor interconnected grids — the components of which are an average of 30 years old.
Her research aims to identify more reliable energy solutions to sustain communities during natural disasters. Working with fellow scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and Colorado School of Mines, Cranmer is focused specifically on a single power source: solid oxide fuel cells. Though the technology itself isn’t new — fuel cells powered Apollo 11 to the moon in 1969 — their popularity is growing: In 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy committed $34 million to support fuel cell research.
“A solid oxide fuel cell works just like a battery,” Cranmer explains, by creating electrical energy via an internal chemical reaction. When this reaction occurs between a hydrogen-based fuel and an oxygen-rich electrolyte, the only byproducts are heat, electricity and water. Compared with conventional combustion-based technologies, which contribute to global warming, fuel cells are objectively cleaner and “greener.” (Although they’re not entirely emissions-free, Cranmer stresses: “The process of acquiring fuel to power these cells can still be harmful to the environment.”)
Fuel cells offer other key advantages: efficiency and scalability. Their average efficiency rate — that is, the amount of energy produced versus the amount consumed — is 60%, twice the rate of traditional coal-powered plants. And their compact size allows for virtually unlimited configurations.
“An individual house or apartment could be powered by a single fuel cell that’s roughly the size of a standard dishwasher,” Cranmer notes. “And you can stack multiple cells to create microgrids that power entire neighborhoods.”
