Don wrote:
>The site gives no clue on its cost but it does look interesting.
> http://www.gemicrogen.com/homegen_prod_desc.html
It looks like GE is serious about trying to turn fuel cells into
a product. This would be a first but i suspect it is still
a preliminary market test. They will have the same problems
the other alternative energy systems face:
1. connecting to the grid. Most local power
companies make this difficult.
2. Home users are not comfortable with power
systems that appear complicated.
Then there is cost. I'll bet a fuel cell based power system
can not compete with a solar system. Just look at the manufacturing
and ongoing costs. A solar system does not need the natural gas
connection, it is reliable, has almost no maintenance, and has
a theoretical life of more than 50 years. You can expand and
modify solar power systems as needed and overall they are much
better for the environment. The cost of solar systems are still
going down and are expected to get much lower. Plus, it has
become a large industry with lots of manufactures.
jeff
