Comments on: Coming Soon: $20 ‘Solar to Hydrogen’ Conversion System

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:40:00 +0000

That article is a year old, so we know that “soon” is longer than 12 months.

A web search found no new/significant information about the company except that they were trying to raise money. That’s a bit concerning as money seeks good ideas which show promise.

My guess is we off the grid folks aren’t going to benefit from this technology for many years, if at all.

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:38:00 +0000

If I am correct, current fuel cells receive the hydrogen from propane and then convert to electrical energy. I must assume then that this will replace the propane storage tank with a hydrogen tank.
I am also completely off grid with expensive batteries being in the loop.
Can this system create enough hydrogen to replace the batteries and more importantly, when will this be available for consumers?

By: rcmansid

rcmansid — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:08:00 +0000

I like this technology if it can be scaled up to make it cost competitive with others.
I hope this is not another scam to rip off investors.

By: vincent

vincent — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 18:40:07 +0000

When is this technology going to be available for the masses in the US for purchase.

By: Paul Randall

Paul Randall — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 01:08:29 +0000

What is the purity and potability of water produced as a byproduct of hydrogen fuel cells? If this device could be used with sea water then would desalinized drinking water be a byproduct of the energy loop?

By: Paul Randall

Paul Randall — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 01:03:51 +0000

This headline is not misleading. An inexpensive way to break water into oxygen and hydrogen would be a boon for distributed solar electric. It will create new potentialities for going off the grid. Hydrogen produced by rooftop solar can power cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells. No need for batteries.

Does cracking water also purify or desalinate it. Could pure water be a byproduct of hydrogen fuel cells? Now that would be something.

By: SKSHAW

SKSHAW — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:25:39 +0000

Who cares where the water comes from? If it only requires 5 gallons or less and the water is reused, it could be triple distilled and ultra high purity. The key here is the final cost (which will definitely be more than $20 per household) and longevity of the device (which may be 5-10 years). Those two factors together will determine the cost/kWh of electricity, which must be equal to or less than that of coal, gas, oil, nuclear, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass, etc. etc. etc. which range from $USD 0.03/kWh to 0.15/kWh.

By: James Yarger

James Yarger — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 20:14:53 +0000

Yea, Yes! I agree completely. People need to wake up to the externalities.

By: James Yarger

James Yarger — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 20:11:56 +0000

that is what the diagram is showing Mr.Wallace. It stores the hydrogen and oxygen that would be slit by electricity by your solar panels into two containers, I would imagine carbon fiber re-enforced pressurized tanks. It then push the gasses through the fuel cell, resulting in potable h20.

By: paintitblack

paintitblack — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 22:40:16 +0000

http://www.mei.gov.on.ca/en/pdf/electricity/coal_cost_benefit_analysis_april2005.pdf for an idea of health and environment costs.

By: Panchabuta

Panchabuta — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:53:31 +0000

With the success solar lamps are having in rural India even without subsidies at prices between $30-$60 and a return of investment for a solar lamp varies between 6 months to 12 months depending on the usage, cost of solar lamp and cost of kerosene/candle and this has led to solar lamps being used not only in remote rural India, but also in urban markets, street side vendors and semi-urban businesses. The impressive growth of companies like d.light where they have reached a million lives in less than 8 months is impressive and it is interesting to note that they are backed by the $7.1 Billion Mahindra group among others in India.
Tata will definitely be able to achieve the scale rather quickly. Detailed analysis of this and other offgrid solar markets are discussed in essays by Panchabuta in its detailed essays on Renewable Energy and Cleantech in India at :http://goo.gl/7i9P7

By: Mridul Chadha

Mridul Chadha — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 07:43:40 +0000

Yes it’s ‘very very’ low. Actually it is only slightly more than the pressure you would have to apply to click the link I mentioned in the third paragraph. Only in the order of 120 – 200 bar (that’s just 100 times more than the normal atmospheric pressure). Thanks for the spell check though.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:15:42 +0000

I am not sure what is going on but up here in the northwest someone is running a TV commercial saying that hydrogen is not a viable fuel because it needs carbon to make it, we know that just not true there are many ways to produce hydrogen. I sure wish some one could put the public straight.

By: my name

my name — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:51:56 +0000

Is “hugh pressure” in the same range of the pressure you apply when you hug someone? It’s pretty low.

By: Mridul Chadha

Mridul Chadha — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 03:27:56 +0000

Easy there. The complete power system would include several smaller systems — solar to hydrogen conversion unit, solar panels, hydrogen storage and fuel cell. This article concentrates only on the solar to hydrogen unit. And only in the end I move on to the entire system saying that while the cost of the entire system would still be higher, there would be significant drop in the cost due to cheaper solar to hydrogen converter. I did not make up the sea water thing, this was mentioned in Prof Nocera’s work available at MIT’s website. And next time try to understand the article thoroughly before using your ‘trigger-happy’ fingers.

By: Susan Kraemer

Susan Kraemer — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 02:45:24 +0000

I have solar on my house making electricity at 11 cents a kwh. (SunRun PPA TotalPower plan) (no loan costs) so we are already there. I think coal is cheaper than that -not including its hefty health and environmental costs that they get to pass along in separate doctors, bankruptcy and climate change costs, of course!

By: Ken Trough

Ken Trough — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 23:26:13 +0000

This is a preposterous headline. He is referring to a “module” not a “system”.

“The final cost of the entire system would be higher than $20, owing to the costs of solar panels, storage equipment and fuel cell.”

The “system” consisting of solar panels, storage equipment and hydrogen fuel cell will cost THOUSANDS (enough to power a house at today’s market prices.

Also, “The system can use water from any source, be it river water, sea water ” More nonsense. (from reddit) “Electrolysis of seawater would be hugely problematic, it involves chlorine/hypochlorite, used to advantage in offshore water sterilizing systems, but not a very useful by-product to have kicking around if you’re needing pure hydrogen.”

This “reporter” should be fired immediately for writing intentionally misleading headlines. I am offended to read this on clean technica.

It’s obviously false articles like this that give ammunition to the luddites who claim green tech is mostly just a money grab.

By: Solar Power Storage Enabled by Dirty Water – Fast Company « Charlotte Insurance

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:13:55 +0000

[…] Solar Power Storage Enabled by Dirty WaterFast CompanySun Catalytix, a company founded by MIT professor Daniel Nocera, is working on a new, cheap solar power system that converts solar energy …Coming Soon: $20 'Solar to Hydrogen' Conversion SystemCleanTechnica […]

By: Solar Power Storage Enabled by Dirty Water | PR Blog

Solar Power Storage Enabled by Dirty Water | PR Blog — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:00:27 +0000

[…] with BP that made it the largest manufacturer of solar panels in India, leading CleanTechnica to speculate that with the help of a soft loan mechanism, Tata could bring the new technology to millions of […]

By: Bob Wallace

Bob Wallace — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:31:08 +0000

When we “know more” would you please include some info on the state-of-fuel-cell-art? Based on the little I know turning the hydrogen back into electricity would be a budget buster.

And some idea of how much it would cost to store the hydrogen.

I’m off the grid and looking forward to a cloudy day alternative to a gas generator. With PV solar it’s feast and famine. Some days my batteries are topped up by noon. Other days I get no power. If I could store a few days of hydrogen for a reasonable cost (something less than a micro wind turbine) I’d be really happy.