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I think they just announced a highly-efficient natural gas electric generator. The question is just how efficient, if it's as efficient as the large centralized
by mustpax 17y ago
I think they just announced a highly-efficient natural gas electric generator. The question is just how efficient, if it's as efficient as the large centralized power plants we now build then we don't have to waste money on building and maintaining power transmission lines.
If I remember my thermodynamics correctly, the efficiency of a heat engine is constrained by the internal temperature of the engine. The higher the internal temperature, the more efficient the engine can be. This is the basic reason why we build as large power plants as transmission loss allows. With a smaller plant, the engine temperature is much lower for practical reasons, hence the loss in efficiency. (Many other economies of scale reasons.)
So if this device can really beat the efficiency of our current centralized natural gas burning plants, then this is revolutionary. If not, too bad for Colin Powell.
- randallsquared 17y agoFuel cells are not heat engines.
- mustpax 17y agoThat would be exactly why this new technology might be more efficient than centralized power plants.
- scotty79 17y agoThey claim that it's twice as efficient as grid. But this might take into account losses during energy transfer from power plant to receiver.
- Devilboy 17y agoFrom their data sheet it's about 50% efficient, on par with modern large scale natural gas powerplants. If you also use the heat it generates to heat your home the Bloombox can be up to 85% efficient.
- holygoat 17y ago> then we don't have to waste money on building and maintaining power transmission lines. Instead we'd just need to maintain a much larger natural gas infrastructure.