Airbus looking at Fuel Cells to replace APU's

[MikeC]

Great - just what we need...an engine the produces more water

Mind you they probably won't be run at contrail altitudes, and the water might be kept on board as the a/c's water supply!!

In addition to cutting emissions and noise on the ground, the use of fuel cells would also offer numerous other benefits. Being lighter than an APU, and with the potential to also replace heavy batteries, they would reduce the weight of the aircraft and therefore also the amount of fuel burned and emissions produced by the aircraft while in the air.

Additionally, with fuel cells producing water as a byproduct, they would allow the aircraft to generate its own water supply. And with fuel cells having no moving parts, they would be easier and cheaper to maintain than fossil-fuel powered APUs.

Content from External Source

 

[WeedWhacker]

This is a rather brilliant (long overdue?) bit of tech. Considering that such technology has been used by space vehicles for many decades....