EnergyOurWay

Want to get off the grid without giving up your suburban or city lifestyle? Researchers have developed a fuel cell that could one day fit in your back yard.

Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., found that solid oxide fuel cells could be two- to three-times more efficient than a traditional power plant.

City Planners don’t want coal or natural gas plants in their backyard, and so utilities have to build long transmission lines. That can cost around $1 million a mile. But the fuel cells would only stand about eight-feet high and have few emissions.  That would eliminate the need for transmission lines and keep your neighborhood clean and efficient.  

According to the developers of this new fuel cell “most people have focused on larger systems that produce 1 megawatt of power or more and can replace traditional power plants, however, this research shows that smaller solid oxide fuel cells that generate between 1 and 100 kilowatts of power are a viable option for highly efficient, localized power generation.”

The neat thing about fuel cells is they are non mechanical. Combustion technology must use moving parts to generate electricity. But in a fuel cell energy is generated from a chemical reaction.  Simple huh? 

Watch for more developments in this technology in the next few years.  For more information check out this article here

GREG