We’ve been hearing about fuel cells powering our gadgets for some time now, but the technology hasn’t really caught on yet. Fuel cells convert chemical energy from a fuel to electricity though a chemical reaction. Hydrogen is the most common fuel used in fuel cells, though alcohols or natural gas are not unusual.

In portable devices, micro fuel cells would work together with integrated rechargeable batteries and promise continuous charge for your gadgets away from a mains socket, as long as you have fuel on hand. Apple has recently filed for two patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, titled ‘Fuel Cell System to Power a Portable Computing Device‘ and ‘Fuel Cell System Coupled to a Portable Computing Device‘. These could potentially open the way for fuel cell powered MacBooks.
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