KidH2 | Hydrogen Fuel Cell Energy Education Lesson Plans

A complete fuel cell kit that includes:

A reversible PEM fuel cell. An H2/O2 fuel cell or an H2/Air fuel cell will work in the experiment.

A solar panel matched to the fuel cell. If the solar panel produces too much voltage, the fuel cell will be destroyed. A rule of thumb is that for a single cell fuel cell, you need a solar panel that produces between 1.2 and 2 volts and at least 200 m/A, a double cell fuel cell requires between 2.4 and 3 volts.

Hydrogen and oxygen (if you are using an H2/O2 fuel cell) gas storage - usually in cylinders, but some kits might include syringes for storage. Do not choose a kit that uses balloons for storage as students will not be able to measure the amount of gas stored.

There are a number of fuel cell kits you can use for this experiment.

Tutorial RFC Set | $250.00

This is our recommendation kit for this lesson plan. The kit includes very robust components. The components can be used in a wide variety of experiments. To prevent spilling, each component has a magnetic bottom and a metal experiment tray is included. The experiment manual is really more for high school or technical school level, but can be adapted for lower grades.

Jr. Basic Fuel Cell | $250.00

This is the best kit to use if you will be demonstrating the process rather than having students do hands-on experiments. It is mounted on a base with the solar panel on one end, a reversible fuel cell for electrolysis, storage in the middle, a fuel cell to produce electricity and, finally, a propeller to demonstrate the transfer of energy.

Solar Hydrogen Experiment Kit | $42.00

This kit offers the best value. It includes everything you need to perform this experiment. It comes with simple instructions, but not an experiment manual. It is easy for students to spill the storage cylinders.

Introduction

The title of this experiment is somewhat misleading as energy is never lost - it just changes form. As energy is transferred from one form to another to produce electricity, there are certain losses in the final amount of electricity available. Some losses are due to inefficiencies in the system, some because of heat generated in the process, etc.

Students will begin with solar energy from a solar panel (kinetic energy in the form of light), use that electricity to produce hydrogen (potential energy in the form of a stored chemical energy), use the hydrogen to produce electricity (kinetic energy of electrons moving), and finally use the electricity to produce mechanical energy (kinetic energy in the form of mechanical work).

Objectives

Students will...

   - Understand different forms of energy.
   - Trace the flow of energy in a system.
   - Understand that the Sun provides energy for the Earth in the form of heat and light.
   - Understand that various forms of energy can be measured in ways that make it possible to
       determine the amount of energy that is transformed.
   - Use tools to measure the gain or loss of energy.
   - Understand that molecules can be divided into atomic parts.
   - Understand that electricity is the movement of electrons along a path.
   - Use the scientific process to make discoveries.

Procedure

1. Explain the concepts of the tranfer of energy.

The key points to cover include:

   - Energy is the ability to do work or create heat.
   - Energy has many forms including radiant energy, thermal energy, electrical
      energy, mechanical energy, and chemical energy.
   - All forms of energy can be divided into two groups - potential energy and kinetic energy.
   - Kinetic energy is the energy something has because of movement.
   - Potential energy is the energy something has because of it�s position or shape. It is often thought
       of as stored energy.
   - Efficiency can be calculated with the following: work coming out of the source divided by the
      amount of energy that entered the source multiplied by 100%.

efficiency = work out/work in * 100%

2. Have students complete the first part of the Student Journal.

3. Have students measure the output of a solar panel and record it in the student journal.

NOTE: If you are using indoor lighting, be sure not the get the light source too close to the solar panel. It can cause the panel to melt.

4. Describe the equipment and process for using a solar panel to electrolyzing water with a reversible PEM fuel cell and then use the stored hydrogen to produce work. You will find specific instructions with whatever fuel cell kit you are using. Generally, you add a small amounts of water to both the hydrogen and oxygen sides of the fuel cell. You attach hydrogen and oxygen gas storage. This might be a cylinder, a syringe, a balloon or other storage. Apply electricity from the solar panel. As soon as electricity is applied, hydrogen and oxygen will begin to be produced. If you are using a kit that has one fuel cell for electrolysis and one for producing electricity, the output - i.e. fan or wheels turning - will begin right away. If you are using a kit with a reversible fuel cell, students will first make and store hydrogen and oxygen, then disconnect the solar panel, and finally connect the fuel cell to their output to see the mechanical energy.

The key points to cover include:

   - Always match red (positive) wire to red connectors and black (negative) to black
   - Work with clean hands
   - Wear safety goggles
   - Always use distilled water
   - Be sure that the hydrogen side of the fuel cell is connected to the hydrogen storage
   - Be sure that the oxygen side of the fuel cell is connected to the oxygen storage
   - Check to be sure that electrical connections are solid
   - If you are working with heat lamps, DO NOT hold the solar panel too close to the light.

5. Have students conduct the experiment.

6. Have students complete the Student Journal Page.

Before the experiment, answer the following questions:

1. Identify each of the following as potential or kinetic energy

   - Heat rising from sidewalk
   - Sound from radio
   - Battery not being used
   - Marble rolling on floor
   - Hydrogen stored in cylinder
   - Motor turning wheel

2. What equation can you use to calculate the loss of energy in a system?

3. In this experiment you will calculate energy loss from solar power transformed to potential stored energy to electrical energy to mechanical. What percentage of energy loss do you predict you will have?

4. What will be some of the causes of loss of electricity from input into the system to output of the system?

1. Using an electrolyser, measure the voltage output of your solar panel. Turn the knob on your multimeter to the 20 V setting. Record the output of your solar panel.

2. Follow the instructions in your solar/hydrogen kit to produce hydrogen using a solar panel and then producing electricity using the fuel cell.

3. Measure the output of the fuel cell by connecting the multimeter to the negative and positive connections on the fuel cell. Record the output of your fuel cell.

4. Using the equation for efficiency of a system, calculate the efficiency of your system.

5. What do you think are the factors that caused the loss of electricity from input to output in your system?