According to two recent patent filings, Apple is looking into the plausibility of powering its MacBook Pro line with fuel cells instead of traditional battery packs. With the general consumer becoming more savvy when it comes to renewable energy sources, Cupertino sees a potential win-win in the form of increasing its reputation as a green company as well as increasing sales. Aside from the capitalistic side of things, it does make good sense to be exploring this option as a hydrogen-based fuel cell could go much longer without recharging than a standard lithium-ion battery pack.
Pictured below, the first of the two patents is entitled "fuel cell system to power a portable computing device." As you can see, it outlines a power system in which a hydrogen fuel cell is the source of energy for the mobile device. With a battery still installed in this version of the system, it can be classified as a hybrid power scheme. Working in unison, the fuel cell provides energy to the battery for system needs, while the traditional battery reciprocates by supplying the power necessary for the fuel cell to convert hydrogen to electricity. As long as the hydrogen doesn't run out, this system theoretically could run forever.
The more recent patent that Apple has filed (pictured below) deals with an external fuel cell to power a device. Entitled "fuel cell system coupled to a portable computing device," the diagram shows a contained external system that can be plugged into an older Mac device to charge the traditional battery found within. Again working in much the same way as the first patent, a fuel cell cartridge works to convert its hydrogen stores into electric power, which is transferred to a coupled battery in the system.
A fuel cell, incidentally, is a device that's basically a multi-stage battery. There is still an anode and cathode, and electrolyte, but the flow of ions is generated by breaking down a fuel -- in this case hydrogen -- into water. It's an incredibly efficient and clean way of generating electricity, but the devices themselves are very expensive compared to batteries, which is why we haven't seen them in many commercial applications yet.
While fuel cells as a concept is nothing new to Apple, these two designs may now have a better chance of reaching consumers because of the advances in renewable energy. Who knows, perhaps whole server farms will be powered by fuel cells, lowering dependencies on fossil fuels.
Read more at AppleInsider(Opens in a new window)
