H
H. E. Taylor
- Jan 1, 1970
- 0
2004/07/22: Eureka: 'Cool' fuel cells could revolutionize Earth's energy resources
HOUSTON, July 22, 2004 — As temperatures soar this summer, so do electric bills. Researchers at the
University of Houston are striving toward decreasing those costs with the next revolution in power
generation.
Imagine a power source so small, yet so efficient, that it could make cumbersome power plants
virtually obsolete while lowering your electric bill. A breakthrough in thin film solid oxide fuel
cells (SOFCs) is currently being refined in labs at the University of Houston, making that dream a
reality.
[...]
Compared to the macroscopic size of traditional fuel cells that can take up an entire room, thin
film SOFCs are one micron thick – the equivalent of about one-hundredth of a human hair. Putting
this into perspective, the size equivalent of four sugar cubes would produce 80 watts – more than
enough to operate a laptop computer, eliminating clunky batteries and giving you hours more juice
in your laptop. By the same token, approximately two cans' worth of soda would produce more than
five kilowatts, enough to power a typical household.
Keeping in mind that one thin film SOFC is just a fraction of the size of a human hair with an
output of 0.8 to 0.9 Volts, a stack of 100 to 120 of these fuel cells would generate about 100
volts. When connected to a homeowner's natural gas line, the stack would provide the needed
electrical energy to run the household at an efficiency of approximately 65 percent. This would be
a twofold increase over power plants today, as they operate at 30 to 35 percent efficiency.
[...]
<http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-07/uoh-fc072204.php>
<regards>
-het
--
"See that, son?
That's the moon.
A long time ago, we used to go there." -stolen .sig
Name your Poison: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/catastrophes.html
H.E. Taylor http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/
HOUSTON, July 22, 2004 — As temperatures soar this summer, so do electric bills. Researchers at the
University of Houston are striving toward decreasing those costs with the next revolution in power
generation.
Imagine a power source so small, yet so efficient, that it could make cumbersome power plants
virtually obsolete while lowering your electric bill. A breakthrough in thin film solid oxide fuel
cells (SOFCs) is currently being refined in labs at the University of Houston, making that dream a
reality.
[...]
Compared to the macroscopic size of traditional fuel cells that can take up an entire room, thin
film SOFCs are one micron thick – the equivalent of about one-hundredth of a human hair. Putting
this into perspective, the size equivalent of four sugar cubes would produce 80 watts – more than
enough to operate a laptop computer, eliminating clunky batteries and giving you hours more juice
in your laptop. By the same token, approximately two cans' worth of soda would produce more than
five kilowatts, enough to power a typical household.
Keeping in mind that one thin film SOFC is just a fraction of the size of a human hair with an
output of 0.8 to 0.9 Volts, a stack of 100 to 120 of these fuel cells would generate about 100
volts. When connected to a homeowner's natural gas line, the stack would provide the needed
electrical energy to run the household at an efficiency of approximately 65 percent. This would be
a twofold increase over power plants today, as they operate at 30 to 35 percent efficiency.
[...]
<http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-07/uoh-fc072204.php>
<regards>
-het
--
"See that, son?
That's the moon.
A long time ago, we used to go there." -stolen .sig
Name your Poison: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/catastrophes.html
H.E. Taylor http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/