Now everything works on electricity and to create electricity now there are many ways. In this era, even vehicles are moving with the help of electricity. We wonder where does this electricity comes from.
Power, buildings and even the houses are run by electricity which helps them to use equipments. Electricity is our basic daily life source. There is a natural substance that helps us to create electricity such as solar cells and also the fuel cell which also can be artificial.
Key Takeaways
- Solar cells convert sunlight into electricity, while fuel cells generate electricity by reacting with hydrogen and oxygen.
- Solar cells rely on renewable solar energy, while fuel cells require a continuous hydrogen supply.
- Fuel cells can operate without sunlight and provide more consistent energy output, but solar cells have lower maintenance requirements.
Solar Cell vs Fuel Cell
Solar cells convert sunlight directly into electricity through the photovoltaic effect, while fuel cells generate electricity through the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, producing water as a byproduct. Solar cells require sunlight to operate, while fuel cells require a fuel source.
Huge buildings and shopping malls require a huge amount of electricity to work. And consuming electricity normally can charge a huge amount of bill also, in fact having solar power on the roof can give you a lot of benefits.
Silicon panels help to consume the sunlight and convert them into electricity that you can use for any purpose. Now there are electric cars and other vehicles which help you to consume less petrol and diesel.
It helps you to spend less on these fuels and have fuel cells that convert the chemical energy that is hydrogen and oxygen. This conversion of fuel can help you save energy and spend it wisely.
A fuel cell converts the chemical substance continuously and you can use the electricity converted by the fuel cell easily.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Solar Cell | Fuel Cell |
|---|---|---|
| Source | From sunlight to electricity | From chemical fuel to electricity |
| Density | The power output is 300 w/m | The power output is 10 kw/m |
| Dependence | The energy and the source depends on sunlight | The energy and the source depends on the chemical substances |
| Locations | A solar cell is useful for urban locations | A fuel cell is useful for remote locations |
| Modules | The modules are interconnected | The modules are directly connected through one way |
What is Solar Cell?
Now people or other big institutions handlers need a huge amount of electricity to run their business or the building. It is really important to have electricity as a source because It helps you to run your daily requirements which are digital and also electrical.
So, now in this era, solar cells are very important and it is very highly demanded. Big buildings which need high power of electricity uses solar cells as a source to overcome this situation.
Even it is used now in malls and other shopping complexes. Solar cells generate electricity with the help of sunlight rays coming straight from the earth’s atmosphere. Sunlight energy is absorbed by the solar cells and then it converts to electricity.
Solar cells are highly usable for sustainable, balanced, and portable power sources. The entire energy system in this world could be safe and sustainable with the help of solar cells.
The big advantage of the power source is that it can be stored for many days and used for later purposes. Around the solar cell is also easily transportable anywhere. The solar cell is very reliable and also it is flexible for more electric power.
Solar cells absorb the sunlight rays, the greatest power source in this universe and the cells help to convert them into a safe and secure power source. It helps to consume and save electricity more wisely.
What is Fuel Cell?
As we know there are someplace where electricity does not reach properly and people are suffering because of low power sources in their places. Electricity is very important to do all the work properly and also it also helps to run the electric equipment easily.
Fuel cell or fuel energy is a source of power that is generated by hydrogen, it is also generated by other sufficient chemicals which help to create electricity.
When the fuel cell generates electricity the only required source is the heat and hydrogen chemicals. Fuel cells are widely used for many applications which are also helpful for large powerhouses or some small laptops or desktops.
It has the potential to run many other power sources. The fuel source can give power to multiple sources such as residential places, industrial work. And the fuel cells are also used by many transport services.
Nowadays in industries and even in vehicles, the technology is of the convention of combustion-based. So the fuel cell is supportive of this combustion-based technology and it is also now used in vehicles and industrial purposes.
Also, fuel cells work better than any combustion-based energy. It also has less emission than any combustion-based energy. It converts all the chemical energy and exceeds the power more than any combustion-based energy.
Main Differences Between Solar Cell and Fuel Cell
- The main difference between the solar cell and fuel cell is that solar cell works when there is sunlight and sunlight helps the cells to absorb it and convert the light into electricity. The fuel cell converts the chemical substance into electric energy.
- The sources which enlighten the solar cell are the energy-rich substance called hydrogen, light, and ammonia which makes it able to convert energy into electricity. The fuel cell can convert all the chemical substances together and generate electricity out of it.
- Another difference that you can find is solar cell helps you to convert the hydrogen chemical and split between the water molecules, also helping to make alcohol. Fuel helps to work with industrial and other physical activities.
- Another difference is that solar cell creates more biomass energy and it is more reliable. Fuel energy does not help to provide more biomass energy and it is less reliable than solar cells.
- Another difference is that solar cell is more used now in this era and the fuel cell is not much famous nowadays. All the remote areas have been developed and everywhere solar panels are installed for generating electricity.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211285515004334
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/er.5698
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
