Some questions about electrical power

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My power provider will begin offering [for sale of course] fuel cells [propane fueled, I think] to home owners next year. In theory, they will provide enough power for the house, etc. on most days, supplement power on high demand days and feed power into the grid on low demand days. Don't have anymore details at the moment.

Is your power company doing this? What do you think? Just wondered.

Best Wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), December 30, 2000

Answers

That sounds really cool, Z.

I haven't heard of anything like this from my power provider.

BTW, what are the costs for one of these babies and are you planning on signing up? If so, please keep us informed on how they perform.

I've fantasized about putting one of these things in my home someday but would like to see the prices come down first.

-- nonehere (none@to.give.net), December 30, 2000.


http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsliving/144ld2.htm

Link

'Electricity in a box' could supplement power grid

Thursday, December 14, 2000

By Linda Ashton

The Associated Press

RICHLAND, Wash. — A machine the size of an office copier could one day bring heat and light to thousands of homes in the West at locations so remote they're out of reach of electrical transmission lines.

Fuel cells, essentially batteries that don't go dead, run on oxygen and hydrogen and have the potential to replace wood stoves, noisy generators and kerosene lamps for those living off the grid.

A half-century ago, the electrification of Washington was so limited that some 80 percent of the state geographically relied on alternative sources of energy, something known as distributed generation, said Greg Smith, vice president of generation for Energy Northwest, which operates the region's only nuclear power plant, 10 miles north of here.

"What goes around comes around," Smith said. "The future of electricity, at least for residential customers, may be where we're going back to."

Energy Northwest, a public power consortium of 13 utilities, is participating in a Bonneville Power Administration test of Bend, Ore.- based IdaTech's fuel cells.

The Energy Northwest fuel cell has a steady-state capacity of three kilowatts and can handle peak loads of about five kilowatts — the power demand of an average home.

Fueled with methanol, it is supposed to last indefinitely, although that's still to be determined.

The first-generation fuel cell has had some reliability problems with automatic shutdowns, but "it's very close to being a very practical device," says Stan Davison, a resource development specialist for Energy Northwest.

The second generation of fuel cells from IdaTech, a subsidiary of Boise-based Idacorp, are expected to be ready for testing early next year, and the Bonneville Power Administration has said it will work with utilities to place some in homes.

At $25,000 each, these machines are not yet priced for most homeowners. But the cost per unit is expected to drop eventually to the $5,000 to $7,000 range.

Bonneville, a federal power marketing agency in Portland, Ore., calls these experimental fuel cells "electricity in a box," a clean, green form of energy with potential for residential and small commercial use.

Survivalists and people with mountain homes aren't the only likely customers. Fuel cells could provide backup power for farms, small businesses and enterprises such as hospitals, which could be thrown into chaos without electricity.

© 2000 Associated Press - All rights reserved.

-- (recent@news.article), December 30, 2000.


have you heard of The International Tesla Electric Company? The offer a free generator and give you 26000kw of free electricty per year.

-- David Whitelaw (dande53484@aol.com), December 30, 2000.

Consumer interest grows for personal power plants (1999)

-- (older@news.story), December 30, 2000.

Nonehere:

That is the question; price. When I see it I will post it. But it may not mean too much for people in other areas. My producer, while only serving rural areas, does it for all of one large state and, at least, a third of two adjoining states. Still, they have an excess of power. It is consumer owned: Flint would call it socialist. They are making money now; my check as a consumer owner payed my November bill.

I don't have the economic numbers for the use of fuel cells. I have talked to the people who run the company. They are interested in decentralizing power production. This is their start.

Best Wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), December 30, 2000.



Z:

General Motors is consumer owned too. Doesn't bother me a bit.

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), December 31, 2000.


Hydrogen? Gott in Himmel, diss schtuff ist kerplumpen!

-- (BaronVonHindenburg@der.bunker), December 31, 2000.

Flint:

I agree, GM appears to be operating as a non-profit organization. Still, I think that this reflects management style rather than being part of their charter. 8<))

Best Wishes,,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), December 31, 2000.


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