A couple of years ago I saw an amazing product on CBS’s 60 Minutes – it was a fuel cell that could change natural gas into electricity. The inventor was promising from his perch in Silicon Valley that in a few years we wouldn’t have an electrical grid, and that 80% of homes would have this refrigerator sized, personal power plant. It was supposed to cut energy costs in half and emissions by more than that. I found it exciting, but incredible. As in, not credible, another broken green promise.
Um, they did it.
They not only worked out the bugs, they now have it commercially available. Right now, it is fantastic for commercial applications and larger homes. In those situations it can pay for itself in four years. If you are under SMUD, it will take longer because we have great rates on electricity. However, if you are under PG&E (Placer County, El Dorado County, etc.) you can see SUBSTANTIAL savings and the four year payoff. Here is an over-simplified picture of the system:
