Alcohol fuel cells are promising energy converters especially for portable applications. Ethanol as fuel is an attractive candidate for fuel cells due to the high volumetric energy density and to the easy handling, transport and storing. The chemical energy of ethanol is converted directly in electricity without any treatment step. The operation of the direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) in alkaline media compared to acidic media includes the advantages of the use of non-precious metals e.g. nickel or manganese as catalysts, the improved water management and reduced ethanol-crossover using anion exchange membranes (AEMs) which conduct the hydrated anions in the opposite direction than the electro-osmotic drag and the kinetic enhancement of the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).