fuel cell generators
about 3 years ago there was a lot of talk of a new coleman fuel cell generator that could power your whole house for a month on $50. The guy designing the website worked with me at encyclomedia. I thought to do some research.
here is a brief discussion
http://www.fuelcells.org/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=1&mesg_id=1&page =
the important part about this page is
"Essentially, release date is ?? and the delays were due to regulatory and other business reaons. "
there is no mention of this product anymore on colemans website. In fact if you do a search there is not even any old articles mentions of it.
http://www.colemanpowermate.com/search.asp?mode=phrase&search=fuel+cell
so the product use to be called AirGen, and actually got it's UL license in 2003.
there was a website called www.airgen.com
www.airgen.com no longer exists.
it's owned however by ballard.
they have a pretty good flash movie of how fuel cell works
http://www.ballard.com/be_a_customer/power_generation/fuel_cell_powergen/airgen#
it actually looks as though they sell the airgen now and have taken it from coleman.
ballard is still in the business dispite it's rough ride over the last couple years.
check out the maxYear graph. i'm upset and might buy into them just to support the fuel cell business, since they are pretty much the major player. the most recent ceo fucked things up by cutting the company's budget as if they had reached their peak and needed cutbacks. when they actually are still working toward their first major money making project.
anyway, it looks like where hydrogen may first hit us is in small devices. already there are a lot of chargers out there like this.
http://www.medistechnologies.com/products.asp?id=132
it's only a matter of time till the battery is actually a fuel cell and lasts for a month. can you imagine not having to charge your cell phone or ipod for a month?
it's not that big of a deal to us now really, but there are probably a lot of ideas this thing could be used for that we haven't even thought of. firealarms that last 50 years? flashlights that last for 500 hours? laptops that last a month? never have to change a battery again while shooting?
but for now, i will leave you with this.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=107575
Mercedes-Benz will introduce the F 600 HyGenius, a fuel-cell-powered compact car that gets the equivalent of 81 miles per gallon and produces zero emissions, at this month's Tokyo Motor Show, the company said Tuesday.
The F 600 HyGenius has a maximum power output of 85 kilowatts and 115 horsepower. The fuel cell in the vehicle, which uses a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to generate power, also can serve as a mobile power source, generating enough electricity for several houses. The cupholders in the concept use electrical power from the fuel cell to keep drinks hot or cold, too.