So, where is my fuel cell? Ten years ago they were supposedly ten years away.
I could deal with the drought two ways with a fuel cell. I could (quietly!) generate electricity for my air conditioner, heat my hot water, and produce my own water (though probably not enough to whet my lawn’s thirst). Sadly, without using hydrogen as a fuel the cell would produce carbon dioxide in the process, so it wouldn’t otherwise help on the green front.
So, why aren’t residential fuel cells on the market yet?
Honestly, I think we’re more likely to have a stirling engine at home than a fuel cell in the next ten years. It seems to be the next big thing Dean Kamen is working on (and has been since before the Segway). Hopefully this work ends up being more generally available and sanely priced.
There was a link the other day on slashdot and a small story on cnn about a texas company that has a new kind of capacitor that charges quickly and can discharge at battery rates.
ralph: http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/09/instant-charge-.html