International Journal of Science, Engineering and TechnologyAuthors: Adeleye, S. A., Olurunshola. O. Z., Ipindola O., Oriowojide R. P.
Abstract: Fuel cells and renewable hydrogen technologies are key enablers for the global transition to carbon neutrality and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) on affordable, reliable, sustainable and clean energy for all. The status, engineering challenges, and future prospects of these technologies are reviewed herein. This work is motivated by the imperative to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, which contribute about 73% of global greenhouse gas emissions and are inconsistent with international climate goals. There has been a lot of investment in solar and wind energy, but sectors that are hard to decarbonize, such as heavy industry, long-haul transportation, maritime shipping and seasonal grid storage, continue to pose decarbonization challenges. Fuel cells and renewable hydrogen are seen as promising solutions for these challenges. The review is a holistic narrative synthesis of peer-reviewed studies, institutional roadmaps, and techno-economic analyses published between 2000 and 2025. The article discusses the basic electrochemical principles of fuel cells and water electrolysis. The article discusses five main types of fuel cells: PEMFC, AFC, PAFC, MCFC, and SOFC. The article evaluates the efficiency, cost, durability, and applicability of fuel cells. We also discuss renewable hydrogen production pathways (electrolysis, thermochemical conversion, and biological methods), hydrogen storage and distribution technologies, and key material and engineering bottlenecks, against the backdrop of global energy transition policies and Nigeria’s energy access challenges under SDG 7. PEMFCs are preferred for transportation due to high power density and fast start-up while SOFCs are preferred for stationary combined heat and power applications, the review finds. Nevertheless, commercialization is still hampered by the high cost of green hydrogen production, low round-trip energy efficiency, membrane degradation, instability of platinum-group metal catalysts, iridium scarcity, and lack of refueling infrastructure. We highlight a key gap in the literature, where existing work is still fragmented and technology specific, and lacks a holistic framework for the comparative integration of hydrogen production, storage, distribution and end-use systems – especially in a sub-Saharan African context. The review is also limited by the absence of detailed geopolitical analysis, coverage of nuclear hydrogen production, safety regulatory assessment and full lifecycle evaluations of commercial systems. The paper concludes that renewable hydrogen and fuel cells are complementary and essential technologies for SDG 7 and Net Zero 2050 and highlights the need for advances in materials science, infrastructure building and cost reduction to enable sustainable large-scale deployment.
DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21903201
