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Not Your Average Tree Lighting


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This year, the U.S. Department of Energy showed its holiday spirit in traditional ways at its annual holiday party – with holiday cookies and punch at its downtown headquarters building. But, with a fun energy twist, Secretary Chu’s holiday tree was lit using a 150 W fuel cell instead of the local electric grid. The Trulite KH4 portable hydrogen fuel cell was able to combine hydrogen gas (from its HydroCell fuel cartridges) and oxygen from the air to produce electricity and heat. The other byproduct of this process – water – was recycled within the 23-lb unit.

Happy holidays!

Photo Credit: Photo of DOE fuel cell at annual holiday party courtesy of the DOE.

Melissa C. LottAbout the Author: An engineer and researcher who works at the intersection of energy, environment, technology, and policy. Follow on Twitter @mclott.

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.





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