Fuel cell technology sign of the future.(Brief Article)

Dear Mr. Berko: There's a bunch of companies in the fuel cell business that traded around $150 a share or higher and have now come tumbling down. Can you explain how this fuel cell technology works and which companies have the best opportunity for long-term growth?

M.C., Oklahoma City, Okla.

Dear M.C.: Fuel cell technology is as simple as a freckle and as old as time itself. Sir William Grove, a British scientist, demonstrated the first gas battery via "reverse electrolysis" in 1839. Instead of producing hydrogen and oxygen bypassing electricity through water (electrolysis), he observed that when these gasses "recombined," a small electrical charge was produced. …