Not so foolish cells

Two comments:

Steam reforming is a chemical reaction, intended to release H2 from Methane. Not related with power generation... the amount of energy required to operate, and then later on H2 in a FC, make the 80% target nearly impossible to achieve.

An bus with a small fuel cell still requires batteries, and energy losses are much higher due to changing ELECT to H2 and then H2 to ELECT back again. It may work, but giving range when taking efficiency might be a difficult task to make it a truly green step.

 

Well that was why I said large building, and when the public policy people talk about it they talk about using the system for heating the hot water and ventilation. The noise of the new turbines is fairly easy to issolate. Baccardi does a great job of co generation. They use the sugar from cane to make the rum, then use the stalks to generate electricity and heat water, and sell the excess steam.

Yep, those calculations look exactly right. You get a longer number of years when you think about gas getting more expensive and substitutes like biogas getting relatively cheaper in the future, so NG usage rising then dropping. The number of years changes based on your consumption model. A slow increase to 35% for the next 10 years then gradual reduction is one model.

This is from fixed base stations. The process gets pretty efficient once start up energy is added. Feel free to use your own numbers. The inexpensive reformation process is about 70% efficient. Affordable fuel cells also about 70%. There are are systems that get 80% though not the 50% you just calculated. Is it magic? No they are fixed base systems and use the heat that is generated. A combined cycle gas turbine/steam turbine is 60%, and again you need to use the waste heat again, first time was in the steam turbine to bump it up to 80%.

The purpose of these buses are education and research. The hydrogen isn't generated from electricity its reformed from gas. They tell people the hydrogen comes from a brown or black source not green. Its also a plug in.

University of Texas at Austin, Gas Technology Institute Put First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus on the Road in Texas | The University of Texas at Austin

 

NOW you get it . . . . but sadly, most folks won't get it. Rose colored glasses are too popular, and as my quoted text mentioned (post #19) ... it's a WHOLE lot easier to get investers to clunk down money on your drilling, when your drill estimates rely on 50% probable recovery calc's. Think about it. Just like the weather man who states, "10% pobability of rain". Whether it rains or not ... his guess is correct.


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