According to patent applications submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office, Apple plans to power its devices with hydrogen fuel cells, the UK Telegraph reports.

The change could mean computers and smartphones that last for weeks without needing recharging.

The hydrogen fuel cells, which convert hydrogen and oxygen into water and electrical energy, could be smaller and lighter than batteries, which would result in less bulk devices.

“Our country's continuing reliance on fossil fuels has forced our government to maintain complicated political and military relationships with unstable governments in the Middle East, and has also exposed our coastlines and our citizens to the associated hazards of offshore drilling,” Apple says in the patent filings.

“These problems have led to an increasing awareness and desire on the part of consumers to promote and use renewable energy sources.”

The Telegraph reports that the two patents, Fuel Cell System to Power a Portable Computing Device and Fuel Cell System Coupled to a Portable Computing Device, follow two similar applications Apple submitted in October.

Laptop batteries: Apple laptop battery, Asus laptop battery, Sony laptop battery.