A reprint from Yahoo of first hand experience with remote power needs,
CSMultrum: Small-scale power
by: milnoid
2644 of 2644
I haven't researched MKTY well enough to form a solid judgment on its
prospects, but I disagree that small-scale FC power generation in inherently a
bad bet because it is comparatively more expensive. I know from experience that
people will pay a huge premium for clean, quiet, reliable power when it is
otherwise unavailable.
If I could get a 7KW FC for US$10,000, I'd be very pleased, even if it used H2
cylinders. So would thousands of other higher-income people in India, China and
elsewhere in developing Asia who now rely on noisy kerosene, diesel and petrol
generators to supplement unreliable electricty grids.
My wife is Indian and we own property in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, where the
electricity authority provides power about 16 hours a day at variable voltage.
We've experimented with various forms of supplementary power generation
including battery storage, solar and ICE generators. The latter are misery in
operation -- and absolute hell when thousands of them are running at the same
time. But the ICEs are so far the only solution capable of running a desert cooler,
fan, lights, and refrigerator simultaneously (about 1.3Kw total, in our case), not
to mention a water heater (~2-3Kw) or an air conditioner (at minimum 2.8Kw).
One 7Kw generator would be enough for three higher-income or 12 low-income
households. The peace and clean air alone would be worth thousands to me. I
contacted PlugPower last year, pleading with them for the opportunity to buy one
of their units as soon as one was available. |
