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re: why not? was: re: fuel cells for home use
19 nov 2000
news wrote:
>> > these fuel cell units use natural and lpg gas. for
>> > hot water and central heating is best to go direct and
>> > use gas furnaces/boilers. that will be more efficient...
>> have you considered using the hot water output of the ge fuel cell? :-)
>yes and i have read their web site. it is best to use gas direct, using
>high-efficient appliances, instead of another energy conversion...
ah, faith vs physics again...
an average american house uses about 10k kwh/year of electricity, say
25 kwh/day. say the water and space heating needs of a house match a fuel
cell's 33% gas-to-electric and 75% cogen efficiencies. we might either
a) make 25 kwh/day of electricity with our fuel cell using 75 kwh of gas,
and use the 0.75x75kwh-25kwh = 31.25 kwh of "waste heat" in the house, or
b) buy 25 kwh/day of electricity from a 50%-efficient natural gas utility
that burns 50 kwh of gas, and burn another 31.25 kwh of gas in the house
for hot water and space heat, at say 100% efficiency (being generous),
using a total of 81.25 kwh/day of gas.
the fuel cell is more efficient, and may be cheaper as well.
nick
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