Dishwasher-Size, 25kW Fuel Cell In Development 379
mcgrew writes "Forbes has an article about a new type of fuel cell that is 90% less costly than current cells at one tenth the size (making it the size of a dishwasher), with far higher efficiency than current cells. It runs at only 149 degrees Celsius (300F) . It was jointly developed by Diverse Energy and the University of Maryland. 'The first-generation Cube runs off natural gas, but it can generate power from a variety of fuel sources, including propane, gasoline, biofuel and hydrogen. The system is a highly efficient, clean technology, emitting negligible pollutants and much less carbon dioxide than conventional energy sources. It uses fuel far more efficiently than an internal combustion engine, and can run at an 80 percent efficiency when used to provide both heat and power.' It produces enough power to run a moderate-sized grocery store, or five homes. A smaller, home-sized unit is on the way. Is the municipal power plant on the way out?"
Unless the amortized annual cost is low (Score:5, Interesting)
The municipal power plant isn't going anywhere.
Our house has all electric utilities - stove, oven water heater, dryer, home heating (in-wall heaters, no central furnace). I'm too lazy to add up the exact numbers, but we're probably paying $2000-2500 a year for electricity (Washington state).
Re:More ripping off the taxpayer (Score:1, Interesting)
Wow, you convicted the "professors" of a crime without any evidence. What next? Executions?
Re:Question asked... (Score:3, Interesting)
you do realize there were very few republicans dissenting against bailing out those companies.
Indeed the bank bail out was designed by republicans before Obama took office and was barely modified afterwards(by either party).
The real trick is the democrats support one type of companies(usually RIAA and their pets) While republicans protect military, and oil companies.
You get to choose which is the lesser of two evils, and remember who wrote up the DCMA.
Re:Question asked... (Score:5, Interesting)
Why? this is perfect for CARS. Dishwasher sized will fit into most full size cars right now. creates electricity at low heat, which mean actual practical electric cars.
you change the fuel source to something other than oil.
Even better at 25kw that is enough to run the majority of homes.
Re: Is the municipal power plant on the way out?" (Score:4, Interesting)
There is one place where a fuel cell that can work with butane and propane would have a -ton- of demand: The RV industry.
As it stands now, most RVs come with absorption refrigerators. These units have the advantage of being able to work with a boiler and a propane flame as well as an electric resistance element. However, they will destroy themselves if run off-level (the sodium chromate which is used as a rust blocker gets "cooked" out, and eventually will completely block the tube, cause a small pinhole leak. From there, the ammonia leaks out and the refrigerator is done for.
A range of absorption refrigerators have been also recalled, because there are reports of them causing fires.
Having a propane fuel cell means that the absorption refrigerator can be given the heave-ho. Instead, the fuell cell can charge the house batteries, and a compressor refrigerator that runs from 12 volts or 120/240VAC via an alternator can be used. This setup would be functionally identical to having to use the absorption fridge, but without the worry about having to have the RV perfectly level. Compressor fridges cool their contents a lot faster than the absorption fridge counterparts as well.
So, even though propane fuel cells wouldn't be useful for primary electricity, they would come in handy with RVs.
As another advantage, the power from a fuel cell would offset the electricity used to power a RV furnace's fans, which means that one doesn't have to have a loud generator or run a vehicle's engine for recharging. For people boondocking, one of the biggest considerations is running a generator as little as possible, because even the quiet ones do make noise.
If this Redox model can be scaled down to 5 kilowatts, this would completely replace the inefficient generator on the RV (generators have the Otto engine cycle which loses a good chunk of energy out the exhaust pipe coupled with the losses of energy from turning rotational energy into electrical. A fuel cell would use a fraction of the propane a propane generator uses.) This would allow running the air conditioner and microwave and other electric appliances.
Take this smaller to being able to do 300-500 watts, and this will compete with the EFOY fuel cells that are used in combination with solar charging systems to keep batteries topped off.
I'm hoping some commercial products come from this. Truma in Europe has a usable propane fuel cell, as well as top notch RV water heaters and furnaces... but they seem to have no interest in selling their products across the pond, and US water heaters and furnaces can be viewed as extremely primitive in comparison. For example, a Truma water heater has a passive mechanism to drain it when the water inside hits 35 degrees to prevent it from getting damaged due to freezing. No US heater has this.
Re:More ripping off the taxpayer (Score:0, Interesting)
Without research, our economy will remain bad. Yes, it takes money, but what the teabaggers who failed economics don't understand that there is a concept called an i-n-v-e-s-t-m-e-n-t. "Useless" silicon research got us the IC.
While the US has chopped the nads off of R&D, guess where China is putting hundreds of billions? It sure isn't shoring up hedge fund managers.
If you want to exist (not live, exist) in a country that has eaten its planting corn and is uninterested in a future other than falling back into a turd world (using Rush Limbaugh's expression) shithole, fine. Most of us actually want to see progress, especially in energy generation.
Re: Is the municipal power plant on the way out?" (Score:2, Interesting)
It depends on the tunnels. Not that many forbid propane altogether, most just demand you shut your main valve off if your RV has an inboard tank.
Unfortunately, propane is a hassle, but the alternatives are not that great. The only fuel that can substitute completely is diesel fuel, and buying a diesel generator, Webasto diesel stove, diesel hydronic furnace, and a flat plate water heater is expensive, and of course requires a rig with a diesel engine. If you want all diesel and a self-contained RV, you are looking at $160,000 from Sportsmobile.
Propane is easy to cook and heat with, and provides almost as much energy per volume as gasoline. To boot, propane stored in a tank or bottle doesn't go bad unless the bottle rusts through.
As an RV-er who does more than just go from campground to campground, having a propane fuel cell would be an incredible thing. No running the generator for hours to top off batteries. No dealing with absorption fridges and having to perfectly be level, as well as waiting 24 hours for the thing to cool.
The closest thing to a fuel cell are the EFOY ones, although good luck trying to find their methanol cartridges in the US.
Re:More ripping off the taxpayer (Score:4, Interesting)
Our taxes go on that kind of thing because without funding it, the scientists will leave to other countries, and in 5 years time this is what you will have:
An economy trying to recover, just about
No researchers with cool ideas for how to spend the money you now have on projects that could run the economy for the next while
No graduates from uni worth anything because they've had no one worth anything teaching them anything.
Basically, because the people who are running the country have some foresight, and realise that we need to spend money to make money. Unlike you, you idiot.