The Energy Technology You Should Have Heard About by Now

I realized with the post below that some people may wonder what the heck a solid oxide fuel cell is and why I'm bothering to write about it. There are a lot of reasons. But the main one is this: the commercial availability of safe, clean, efficient, and portable power will not only radically alter social and economic relationships the world over, it's going to make some one a truckfull of money. Several truckfulls probably. Trucks that run on fuel cells...so you can take your money to a vault somewhere safe....

But seriously, magazine and newspaper articles that harp on ethanol and bio fuels and the hydrogen economy are almost criminally stupid. We are literally a few years and a few more research breakthroughs away from commercially viable solid oxide fuel cells...the kind that can power cars or cities (or even cook oil from oil shale if you believe some people.)

Here is a brief summary from an article in MIT Technology Review:


Low-temperature fuel cells have already found uses in laptops and buses, for example. But these fuel cells produce relatively little power . In contrast, high-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) could generate enough power to supply cities. And their heat can be channeled into other uses: for heating buildings or turning steam turbines to produce more power.

Innovate or die. Adapt or die. Of course we all die in the long run, but hopefully not before we absolutely have to.