Fuel cells: would they blow up an ‘eco’ hotel?
On screen chemistry with Jonathan Hare
In the Bond film Quantum of Solace, a dodgy South American dictator, General Medrano, is negotiating a deal with the evil Dominic Greene who wants to take control of one of the biggest sources of fresh water in the world. The secret deal is signed in a hotel in the middle of the Bolivian desert. This state-of-the-art ‘eco’ hotel is powered by fuel cells. There is a scene where the general is discussing the merits of the beautiful hotel and jokingly asks if the fuel cells are safe. Meanwhile Bond finds out about the secret meeting and in an action-packed series of events puts an end to the plot and destroys the hotel by blowing up the fuel cells. So how do fuel cells work, are they dangerous and could they blow up a hotel?
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