3 ms·

I figure about 30kW per box. Elsewhere in the article, they say Ebay got 100k USD of electric power from using 5 boxes for 9 months. Assuming 10c/kW.h, that's

by ableal 17y ago

I figure about 30kW per box. Elsewhere in the article, they say Ebay got 100k USD of electric power from using 5 boxes for 9 months. Assuming 10c/kW.h, that's 1 MW.h in 6408 hours, coming out to about 154 kW for all five boxes. Adjust for actual utility rates and exact usage.

nazgulnarsil 17y ago
yeah, but such hyperbole is a classic sign of a con. if they were serious they'd just tell you the I/O.
- krakensden 17y ago
  On the other hand, the source is a 60 minutes puff piece- their audience has no conception of what a watt is.
  - anamax 17y ago
    Their audience knows what a hair dryer (1500-1800 watts) and a 100 watt light bulb are. 30kw - can run 300 100 watt light bulbs continuously. They could even throw in a refrigerator or two.
    - pedalpete 17y ago
      Actually, they did mention how one 'disc' or wafer powers one lightbulb. The problem with comparing a lightbulb or refrigerator, etc. is that the average person has to think... ok, so how many discs are in a box? how many lighbulbs do I have in my house? etc. In the piece (which I admit is very fluff), the founder shows a box and says 'this is a european house', grabs another box and says 'this is an american house, or 4 asian houses'. These are methods of explanation that the 60 minutes audience can understand. The actual company is apparently launching on Wednesday, so I'd expect that on that day we'll hear more details. Seeing as the device can use a different gases as fuel, wouldn't we expect that the output would be dependent on the fuel supplied?
      - anamax 17y ago
        > Seeing as the device can use a different gases as fuel, wouldn't we expect that the output would be dependent on the fuel supplied? It depends on where the limits are. Consider the typical gas furnace. I understand that natural gas varies considerably in energy per gram (or per cubic feet at a standard pressure). Within limits, the system adjusts the amount consumed to account for that and appropriate output. Meanwhile, an electric hair dryer doesn't - it's heat output is determined by the input voltage, current, and wave shape.
      - anamax 17y ago
        > Seeing as the device can use a different gases as fuel, wouldn't we expect that the output would be dependent on the fuel supplied? It depends on where the limits are. Consider the typical gas furnace. I understand that natural gas varies considerably in energy per gram (or per cubic feet at a standard pressure). Within limits, the system adjusts the amount consumed to account for that and appropriate output. Meanwhile, an electric hair dryer doesn't - it's heat output is determined by the input voltage, current, and wave shape.
- ableal 17y ago
  It's just TV fodder. It's not for consumers, and no business is going to plunk down nearly 1M USD per box without an engineer looking at the figures, and someone figuring return on investment, etc. There may be a subsidy angle, too ...
lallysingh 17y ago
Really? that's it? The fuel cell we used @ VT in 1999 was 20kW and substantially smaller (it fit within a car's engine compartment). http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05032000-15510004/unrestricted/mjo-final-thesis.pdf http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05032000-1551... Then again, that was pure hydrogen, not methane.

by ableal 17y ago

nazgulnarsil 17y ago

yeah, but such hyperbole is a classic sign of a con. if they were serious they'd just tell you the I/O.

krakensden 17y ago
On the other hand, the source is a 60 minutes puff piece- their audience has no conception of what a watt is.
- anamax 17y ago
  Their audience knows what a hair dryer (1500-1800 watts) and a 100 watt light bulb are. 30kw - can run 300 100 watt light bulbs continuously. They could even throw in a refrigerator or two.
  - pedalpete 17y ago
    Actually, they did mention how one 'disc' or wafer powers one lightbulb. The problem with comparing a lightbulb or refrigerator, etc. is that the average person has to think... ok, so how many discs are in a box? how many lighbulbs do I have in my house? etc. In the piece (which I admit is very fluff), the founder shows a box and says 'this is a european house', grabs another box and says 'this is an american house, or 4 asian houses'. These are methods of explanation that the 60 minutes audience can understand. The actual company is apparently launching on Wednesday, so I'd expect that on that day we'll hear more details. Seeing as the device can use a different gases as fuel, wouldn't we expect that the output would be dependent on the fuel supplied?
    - anamax 17y ago
      > Seeing as the device can use a different gases as fuel, wouldn't we expect that the output would be dependent on the fuel supplied? It depends on where the limits are. Consider the typical gas furnace. I understand that natural gas varies considerably in energy per gram (or per cubic feet at a standard pressure). Within limits, the system adjusts the amount consumed to account for that and appropriate output. Meanwhile, an electric hair dryer doesn't - it's heat output is determined by the input voltage, current, and wave shape.
    - anamax 17y ago
      > Seeing as the device can use a different gases as fuel, wouldn't we expect that the output would be dependent on the fuel supplied? It depends on where the limits are. Consider the typical gas furnace. I understand that natural gas varies considerably in energy per gram (or per cubic feet at a standard pressure). Within limits, the system adjusts the amount consumed to account for that and appropriate output. Meanwhile, an electric hair dryer doesn't - it's heat output is determined by the input voltage, current, and wave shape.
ableal 17y ago
It's just TV fodder. It's not for consumers, and no business is going to plunk down nearly 1M USD per box without an engineer looking at the figures, and someone figuring return on investment, etc. There may be a subsidy angle, too ...

lallysingh 17y ago

Really? that's it? The fuel cell we used @ VT in 1999 was 20kW and substantially smaller (it fit within a car's engine compartment). http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05032000-15510004/unrestricted/mjo-final-thesis.pdf http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05032000-1551... Then again, that was pure hydrogen, not methane.