The future of drone power: Environment Friendly Hydrogen cells.?

Drone manufacturers are taking advantage of the rise of hydrogen fuel cells as they look for energy sources that will allow drones to fly for several hours without worrying about potentially harmful Lipo batteries. More drones are expected to use hydrogen fuel cells, which have lately gained popularity due to their greater use in consumer goods like vehicles.

How does a hydrogen fuel cell on a drone work?

A battery stores energy in the form of electricity, however fuel cells work differently since they don't do the same. In order to generate energy, hydrogen is used. A fuel cell will last longer since it has a different energy density from a battery. An equivalent drone might fly for around an hour utilising a hydrogen fuel cell, but the typical drone today can only fly for about 20 to 30 minutes on a Lipo battery.

What are the effects on the environment?

“The only byproduct of the fuel cell is a chemical reaction between hydrogen and the oxygen in the air, producing a small amount of heat and water vapor, and it’s silent apart from a small fan.

A clean energy source is hydrogen. Colorless, odourless, and non-toxic hydrogen gas won't cause acid rain, destroy the ozone layer, or release dangerous emissions. It only produces water as a byproduct when it is turned to energy. As a result, hydrogen is a very clean fuel. Additionally, power and hydrogen can both be produced, resulting in a renewable and environmentally safe energy loop.

On Earth and in the entire Universe, hydrogen is the most plentiful resource. The most plentiful resource is still hydrogen, even on Mars.

Compared to batteries, hydrogen fuel cells have a higher energy density. Fuel cells produce energy with a higher density than conventional batteries since they use air for half of their reaction when turning it into energy. Accordingly, a drone equipped with a hydrogen tank will produce more energy than one powered by a LiPo battery of the same size and weight.

BVLOS drone need longer flying periods. This becomes possible with hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen-powered drones have a longer flight time because in addition to having a high energy density, hydrogen also has a special way of generating and releasing energy, which affects flight time. While hydrogen fuel cells produce energy only when necessary, regular batteries store energy and release it when needed. Due to this peculiar behaviour, hydrogen-powered drones can fly for up to two hours Although the typical flying length of a LiPo-powered drone is 25 to 30 minutes, there are a few techniques to prolong the life of your sUAS LiPo battery. Drones powered by hydrogen are more capable of performing BVLOS flights. Hydrogen-fueled drones are more dependable for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights because they can fly for longer periods of time and operate in colder conditions. But before we can fully benefit from hydrogen-powered drones, changes in the law governing BVLOS flights must first take place.

Fast-recharging hydrogen fuel cells. Historically, and even now, hydrogen fuel has not been easily available to the general people. But now that is changing with a number of companies developing fast recharging methods for hydrogen fuel cells .A hydrogen fuel cell can be refuelled far more quickly—within only a few minutes—than a LiPo battery can.

Hydrogen-fueled drones function in low temperatures. Hydrogen fuel cells require the constant presence of oxygen but are not affected by low temperatures. This expands the use of drones into northern and southern latitudes. The ability to function in low temperatures will open up new applications for drones.

If fuel cells are so great, then why aren’t we using them over Lipo batteries?

The main barrier in this case is cost. The the initial cost of hydrogen fuel cells is around 7 times greater than the price of a conventional drone battery.However, analysts claim that although while a fuel cell's initial cost is far more than that of a battery, their lifetime costs are more equal. There is, of course, good news.We could do that with economies of scale (where fuel cells are low-cost enough to appear in all drones, not just commercial-grade ones).

Fuel cells are typically extremely heavy, so it has taken a feat of engineering to make them light enough for them to reasonably fly onboard a drone. Innovation will need to be developed to make the fuel cell a lot lighter based on the batteries used. Another issue is that Fuel cells don’t deal with peaks well, In cases of take-off, wind resistance or other harsh conditions, the power pack does rely on a Lipo battery as well.

Another obstacle? Accessibility. Hydrogen cannot be delivered to you via Amazon Prime Now, at least for now !

Will take long to get commercialised ? The future is way closer than you thing !