Everything depends on the energy lost in the transfers with regard to fuel cells.
I recently bought a powerful rechargeable flashlight with one of these super beams that shows things in the next county but it only lasts for 15 minutes. A second bulb can be left on for 25 hours - enough to light dimly a room in an emergency.
However, what is interesting is that it has a lead/acid rechargeable battery in it! It's heavy, but not unduly so. They keep making improvements and eventually . . . . . ?
Meantime, check out the Star Rotor engine at:
http://www.starrotor.com/
Harry
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Lawrence wrote:
Harry, I think the only benefit of fuel cells (batteries) is that they can be charged while demand is low, so it lessens the need for larger electrical power sources to meet peak consumption. But as batteries are highly entropic, they present a net energy loss.Hybrid cars -- internal combustion engine/electric engine) convert breaking power into stored electricity (batteries), which drives the electric engine. So batteries do have a net beneficial use in hybrids. But, as you say, batteries are not a source of power. Cheers, Lawry > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Harry Pollard > Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2002 6:27 PM > To: Karen Watters Cole; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: Keith Hudson > Subject: RE: The Solar Economy > > > Karen, > > I was waiting to give a paper at an AAAS annual conference (obviously, my > paper was the reason for good attendance). The guy ahead of me > was giving a > paper on the economics of wind turbines. I had vaguely notice in the LA > Times proposals for investment in these things. The ads were > careful to say > you needed an income of $250,000 - or a net worth rather more > than that. If > you qualified, you could reap lucrative rewards from government > tax breaks. > > He estimated that each wind turbine cost $27,000 - hidden in the tax > breaks, and never appearing in any balance sheet. My thought was forget > them as an energy source except in special locations. The economist had > other ideas. His recommendation was that the tax break system should end. > Instead, there should be direct subsidy by the Federal > government. The fact > that the electricity produced was prohibitively expensive > apparently didn't > occur to him. > > That was 20-30 years ago. I assume that during this time, the cost of a > turbine has gone up, but the efficiency of the turbines will also > have gone > up. I wonder what the cost of a kilowatt is now? > > The economist's advice was taken. If you install a wind turbine, > California > will now pay half the cost along with giving a tax credit of 7.5%. > > I don't know how the new wind-farms are financed. > > The put the solars out in the desert. Didn't help. > > Solar hot water heaters are in the yellow pages in Florida. They are also > used, I understand, all over North Africa. But, so far, as a replacement > for coal, oil, or nuclear - no luck. > > Fuel cells don't produce power, though from the excitement they > cause, one > would think they are the definitive answer to non-renewables. The > answer to > their use at the moment is Bah! Humbug! > > In Southern California. now the daily temperature is down into the 60's - > practically freezing. (We may even get some rain in the next few > days.) So > playing with these toys isn't crucial. But, in the North-East and > Mid-West > they can't heat their homes with fantasies. Babies with pneumonia > aren't a > pretty sight. > > So, the alternatives aren't particularly practical. They may become so in > due course, but at the moment - Marley's ghost has nothing to offer. > > Bah, Humbug! > > Harry
****************************** Harry Pollard Henry George School of LA Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: (818) 352-4141 Fax: (818) 353-2242 *******************************
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