Ultra compact 'Cold' fuelcells could be the breakthough...

Wow what an exciting month of energy development! First we get a magnetic motor, then a water disassociation technology that can turn any water into hydrogen(still very skeptical), and now a stackable fuel cell technology that could produce 5kw from a module the size of two soda cans! Very interesting indeed!I am looking foward to future developments.

www.spacedaily.com...


P.S. Possible future powerplants for Spacecraft and Energy weapons?

given those specs a box 4 X 5 X 5( could provide more than 500kw or half a gigawatt of electricity! Assuming it can be scaled to those densities ofcourse.

[edit on 24-7-2004 by Sigma]

This sort of technology can have extremely far-reaching consequences, if it is realized in the commercial marketplace.

Here's hoping that day comes soon.

Are we waiting for technology to catch up to hydrogen?

From: Iclei.org

Hydrogen is the lightest and most common of all elements. It can be used as a fuel for a modified internal combustion engine or a fuel cell. Hydrogen combustion produces only water vapour and small amounts of NOx as exhaust. Water can be split into its component parts, oxygen and hydrogen, by the use of electricity. This methodof producing hydrogen is known as electrolysis. Electrolysis uses more energy in the form of electricity than is produced in the form of hydrogen. Hydrogen, is however, a potentially useful method of "storing" electricity. The environmental impacts of using hydrogen as a fuel depend upon the source of the electricity used for electrolysis. If the electricity is generated from a coal fired power station, a hydrogen fuelled vehicle would result in larger emissions of CO2 and acid gases than a gasoline powered car. If renewable sources of electricity such as wind or solar energy (photovoltaic cells, or solar thermal power plants) are used, hydrogen vehicles would have no emissions of CO2 or other pollutants. Many people believe that solar produced hydrogen will be as widely used in the middle of the next century as petroleum is today

Why do we depend on oil for fuel at all?

We need to find ways to get hydrogen from water that does not use more energy than the hydrogen will produce. I am sure this can be done but it seems that there really is very little funding for this kind of research.

We live in a water world... How many times have you heard NASA say that space exploration involving other worlds would require first finding water on that world? The reason is because the water is FUEL!

If water is found on Mars in abundance it is possible to travel there and make the fuel for the trip home from that water found on Mars.

Hydrogen production has a byproduct of O2.. is that bad?

it burns so clean that emissions are hard to detect... and there is enough hydrogen trapped in water on Earth to provide all the world's fuel needs for longer than this planet will exist.

Maybe one day someone will make a car that runs on water... by having an electrolysis unit that converts the water to hydrogen fuel.

But I don't think the big oil companies would be to fond of having people filling up their cars with water.

One day.. maybe.. Just maybe?

Gazz

[edit on 24-7-2004 by UM_Gazz]

Originally posted by UM_Gazz
We need to find ways to get hydrogen from water that does not use more energy than the hydrogen will produce. I am sure this can be done but it seems that there really is very little funding for this kind of research.

100% efficiency would be best possible in that "loop".
We can't never get more energy from burning of hydrogen than what electrolysis consumes because energy released in burning is that energy what hydrogen atoms bind when they're separated from oxygen of water molecule.

But oil industry has much power and money and it's sure they'll use those for suppressing research of renewable environment friendly energy sources