[ROCKMAN]

Seems as if there's really nothing to debate. If the system works as described, if they are putting the pieces together now and if it's such a great economic advantage we should start seeing the conversion process start very soon especially now that oil seems to want to hold above $100 per bbl and NG prices are recovering.

I humbly suggest we table the discussion until we're able to start ordering our units. At that time we can all apologies for our lack of acceptance of this latest savior from PO. Would just be the right thing to do. LOL.

[BobInget]

The attitude "There's nothing new here people, just keep moving" is getting tiresome.
While it's true, more patent applications for perpetual motion machines come in daily, some
technology has been in refinement for decades. Fuel cells are one such case. Now, the LT prospect of affordable naturals gas has revived a now seasoned fuel cell technology.

Go back 35 years and remember those 'new' words; coming on line--- 'catalyst', fuel cell, cogeneration.
Back in 'the day' we were told by the beginning of the new century we would be getting a "CUBE".
It's about time, advent of cheap, abundant gas, we are finally able to realize the dream of localized
electrical generation in an urban setting.

Keep those 'good news' stories coming.

[diemos]

Now, the LT prospect of affordable naturals gas has revived a now seasoned fuel cell technology.

Define long term.

[Keith_McClary]

we should start seeing the conversion process start very soon especially now that oil seems to want to hold above $100 per bbl and NG prices are recovering.

I think the economics of this depend on relatively cheap NG.

[Keith_McClary]

technology has been in refinement for decades. Fuel cells are one such case.

Is this a "breakthrough", or something that has been incrementally improved for decades, and (like fracking) may now be economic due to high oil prices?

[ROCKMAN]

Bob - Yes...fuel cells are one of those decade old technologies. Which is why we see so many cars in the US, one of the largest producers of NG in the world, powered by fuel cells. What I find tiresome is all the conversations about what will/can solve our problems instead of conversations about what HAS solved our problems. Which brings up an interesting question: what was the last solution we saw that actually fixed any of the major problems we've faced, in say, the last 10 years? There must have been a lot given all the clever folks around that are always thinking up solutions.

[Rune]

Whenever you post about emerging technology on PO.com, you always get that "Wake me up when its at Walmart" comment.

People on PO.com only recognize technologies that were emerging 30 years ago.They don't believe that anything else will ever emerge.

Its really stupid.

[diemos]

Whenever you post about emerging technology on PO.com, you always get that "Wake me up when its at Walmart" comment.

I didn't see anyone post that comment. I didn't see anyone cry "Scam!". It seems like a perfectly real technology. A new way to burn fossil carbon and extract energy from it.

But like all conventional means of burning fossil carbon in order to extract energy it has the issue of, "But what are you going to do when the fossil carbon runs out?"

New ways to burn fossil carbon may be neat, but they're not a new energy source.

[Rune]

If you want liquid fuels, Joule Unlimited's technology scales up just fine. Such technologies never stand still. There are always improvements. And if cyanobacteria prove too inefficient, it won't be long before synthetic biologists are able to print custom genome synthetic organisms (miniture factories) for converting CO2 and sunlight directly into fuels or other useful compounds.

Joule's first liquid fuels are expected to hit the market in 2015.

Printing a genome is already possible.

It will be decades upon decades before fossil fuels run out. It might be quite a long time that we remain on a plateau of oil production. It may be a very long time that we remain on a decline curve. The decline curve may be demand-driven.

But the enormous availability of fossil fuels will allow plenty of time for alternatives such as Joule's to fully develop.

The main points of the OP are:
(1) The doubling of efficiency provided by Solid Oxide fuel cells.
(2) The ability of individual homes and business to use this product and being independent of the grid. This eliminates the need for grid construction and eliminates some of the losses that the grid entails

The OP is about hugely improved efficiency and the mitigation or elimination of some of the threats to our present system of using a massive energy grid.

None of this is intended to convey some sort of silver-bullet. There will be a variety of technologies that ramp up to replace oil. There will be highly-efficient solar and small modular reactors, the use of thorium - these are all technologies that can experience their own pathways of technological development.

Oil will be with us for decades even if it peaks. And it looks like we will be using it heavily for a very long time. But as it gets expensive, other technologies will move in to take its place. Its just natural evolution, economics and adaptation.

Solid Oxide fuel cell products are being commercialized with product to roll-out in 2015.

[Rune]

Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Re-Invent Nature and Ourselves

A visionary and controversial romp through synthetic biology, which is one of the most important technologies of our time.

"Eric Topol, Professor of Genomics, The Scripps Research Institute, and author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine“
Literally reinventing nature could provide solutions to intractable problems with the energy supply, global warming, and human health.

In Regenesis, George Church, a pioneer and pre-eminent force in promoting our ability to read DNA sequence, now guides us to the future: writing DNA sequence. Teaming up with Ed Regis, Church provides a mind-bending, tour de force account of how this seventh industrial revolution will take hold, and how ultimately the survival of our planet and the human species may rely upon rewriting the code of life. An enthralling journey into the future—with truly profound implications—that should not be missed.

”Stewart Brand, author of Whole Earth Discipline“
Here you will find the bleeding, screaming, thrilling edges of what is becoming possible with genomic engineering, handsomely framed in the fine-grained fundamentals of molecular biology. It is a combination primer and forecast of what is coming in this ‘century of biology’ from the perspective of a leading pioneer in the science.”

I'm reading this book right now. It's amazing stuff.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Energy and emerging technologies with HUGE potential to solve seemingly intractable problems.

The fine scientists at Joule Unlimited don'lt have to stick with what Nature gave us in the form of cyanobacteria. Really, they are just beginning with that particular bug due to its ability to photosynthesize. And they HAVE modified the genome already to turn off reproduction and devote cellular metabolic processes to the production of alcohol, biodiesel and jet fuel. Yet, the genome Joule is working with at present may not be optimum for the task; perhaps some man-made genome would function more perfectly for the task of producing liquid fuels. No doubt, there will be a search for that genome (or complex molecular factory).

And it scales. The company's target is 25,000 gallons of alcohol or 15,000 gallons of biodiesel per acre per year. You can put all that Texas wasteland to good use.

You can oxidize alcohol or biodiesel in a fuel cell just as easily as you can oxidize hydrocarbons. These liquid fuels will work just great in a Solid Oxide fuel cell.

The point is, these technologies ARE emerging. They ARE worth knowing about for anyone interested in Energy. And they do seem to have great potential at working together at a high-rate of efficiency. What's more, they DO appear to have great technological growth potential.

To answer your question: "What happens when the oil runs out?"

Well, that is very far in the future and by that time we will be making our own oil using specially designed molecular factories most likely. We won't have to pull it out of the ground anymore.

[Keith_McClary]

None of this is intended to convey some sort of silver-bullet.

Just a Breakthrough Set to Alter the Energy Landscape Forever.

I love it when Cornies say "forever". It shows they missed the episode of Sesame Street brought to you by the numbers Finite and Infinite.

[dolanbaker]

None of this is intended to convey some sort of silver-bullet.

Just a Breakthrough Set to Alter the Energy Landscape Forever.

I love it when Cornies say "forever". It shows they missed the episode of Sesame Street brought to you by the numbers Finite and Infinite.

Maybe,they're just stating that the "energy" landscape will change forever, but that "landscape" may only have a lifespan of a few years or decades!

[Beery1]

The attitude "There's nothing new here people, just keep moving" is getting tiresome...

What's getting tiresome is the number of 'good news' stories that are pie-in-the-sky articles about vaporware.

Where are the benchmarks, progress reports and prototypes - not just for large scale factories but for single home use? If we have those, maybe (just maybe) we could have a story. Without them, all we have is speculation.