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2607004679
  • Open Access
  • Review

The Role of Digitalization in the Advancements of Fuel Cell Systems for Sustainable Energy Conversion

  • Ali Mahmoud Nassar 1,   
  • Montaser Mahmoud 1,   
  • Adnan Alashkar 2,*

Received: 14 Jan 2026 | Revised: 23 Jun 2026 | Accepted: 21 Jul 2026 | Published: 04 Aug 2026

Abstract

Fuel cells have been increasingly considered one of the most advanced energy conversion technologies due to the various advantages they offer in terms of performance and environmental benefits compared to other conventional systems. However, due to their complexity and multi-influencing factors, they face several challenges related to maintenance, optimization, monitoring, and prediction. Owing to these factors, the integration of digitalization technologies into fuel cells has frequently shown a promising approach to overcome such challenges. This paper provides a detailed investigation of the recent advancements in fuel cell digitalization, namely digital twin, machine learning, and IoT, with a focus on the developments carried out in the last 5 years. According to the reported studies, these technologies have been utilized in a wide variety of applications and objectives, including electric vehicles, energy management, fault detection, and predictive maintenance. Through examining the various digitalization technologies, the integration of machine learning into fuel cells is currently the most mature and commonly used technique in comparison to the other investigated digitalization technologies. This paper highlights the viability and pathways of integrating digitalization into various types of fuel cells, such as proton exchange membrane, solid oxide, and microbial fuel cells, for a more sustainable energy conversion and management systems.

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Nassar, A. M.; Mahmoud, M.; Alashkar, A. The Role of Digitalization in the Advancements of Fuel Cell Systems for Sustainable Energy Conversion. Advances in Energy Conversion and Management 2026, 1 (1), 1.
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