Fuel cells are receiving increased attention in many industries for their potential to possibly curb carbon dioxide emissions. The same reasoning lies behind growing considerations of ordinary Japanese households toward the use of these environmentally friendly alternative energy systems. Fuel cells make use of the chemical reaction between hydrogen (extracted from utility gas supplies) and oxygen in the atmosphere to heat water or generate power. Or as Nishizaki Kunihiro of Tokyo Gas puts it, "Fuel cells are power generation systems that work on the opposite principle to the electrolysis of water."
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