I-WEST Seminar: Fascinating Fuel Cells

Picture of Daniel Leonard

Daniel Leonard

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Seminar Information:

Date: July 19, 2023

Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm MT

Location: Held via Webex. A no-cost registration is required to attend.

Register here or contact [email protected] for assistance. 

The I-WEST seminar series hosts thought leaders on a spectrum of topics tied to transitioning the Intermountain West to carbon neutrality, including technologies, policy, workforce, and environmental justice. 

Seminar summary

If you’re curious about fuel cells and how they work, then this seminar is for you! Join Daniel Leonard, a scientist in the Fuel Cell Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory, as he describes the key components of a fuel cell and explains the science behind turning hydrogen into electricity for transportation.

Fuel cells can be used in a wide range of applications, providing power across multiple energy sectors, including transportation; industrial, commercial, and residential buildings; and long-term energy storage for the grid in reversible systems. Fuel cells have several benefits over conventional combustion-based technologies, and scientists are working to further develop the technology for large-scale deployment. The U.S. Department of Energy is working closely with national laboratories, universities, and industry partners to overcome critical technical barriers to fuel cell development—cost, performance, and durability are still key challenges in the fuel cell industry. Learn more about DOE-funded fuel cell activities.

About the speaker

Daniel Leonard graduated from Los Alamos High School in 2000, after which he completed his B.S. in viticulture and enology at the University of California, Davis in 2004. Following a stint in the wine industry, Daniel pursued an M.S. in chemistry from NMT where he investigated materials for CO2 conversion, followed by a Ph.D. in chemistry at Oregon State University studying catalysts for water splitting, and materials for lithium, sodium, and potassium-ion batteries. He joined Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2019 as a postdoctoral researcher before joining the Lab as a staff scientist in 2021, working on the development of fuel cell and electrolyzer technologies.

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