Home > > Wind generators news > > Grow your own electricity says City University
A solid oxide fuel cell, placed in the domestic gas boiler, should generate electricity from the gas every time the boiler is activated. The electricity, if not used around the house, could then be sold back into the national grid - running the electricity meter backwards!
The science to do this has been known for over 100 years," said Dr Edney. "It¡¯s boiled down to an engineering problem." The design needs to be for a generator much smaller than most, reliable for a couple of years without maintenance, at an affordable price. The two engineers are on the verge of building a prototype, and are in negotiation for industrial sponsorship to develop the cell. Its projected cost at present is still too high.
One potential advantage of having such a generator at home is that it would be a cleaner way of obtaining electricity than buying it as we do now from coal-burning or nuclear power plants. The process produces water and carbon dioxide as by-products. "So you get none of the nasty NOXs (nitrous and nitrite compounds) or the carbon monoxides that power stations produce," said Dr Edney. "And obviously no nuclear waste".
It should also be more economical. The generator will only take up a little more gas than the boiler would otherwise use. "Your gas bill would go up a little, and your electricity bill go down a lot," predicted Dr Edney.
Now that the feasibility grant from the EPSRC has been used up, the pair is anxious to secure money to develop the cell.Related Questions:
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