CFU - Ceramic Fuel Cells

[Smurf1976]

On the flip side there is a benefit in that the more individual generators(of any kind) in the grid alleviates base(and especially peak) load meaning less demand on infrastructure(supply chain) causing less blackouts, and when blackouts do occur less area would be affected.

cheers

This is not necessarily a function of distributed, small generators - a large power station does exactly the same thing in that it adds base / intermediate / peak generation to the grid.

One potential major problem with fuel cells or any other distributed generation relates to its load profile given that they are not subject to centralised control. In short, if these units are not generating (for whatever reason) when demand is highest they they are essentially useless in terms of managing peak demand and do not provide an alternative to conventional power generation. That means that at times the fuel cell needs to be running flat out when nobody is home in order to meet the total load on the grid.

If this is going to work on a large scale then I'd be very seriously looking at some form of centralised control via a communications system (preferably NOT the internet as it just isn't reliable enough). Either that or they aren't a true alternative to centralised generation for the majority of supply (though they could operate satisfactorily at the margins).

To be specific, the real danger if these became common is that people might not have them running during Summer afternoons since they don't need the heat or hot water produced. That WILL bring down the entire grid unless the grid and conventional power stations continue to be built and expanded as though distributed generation did not exist, a situation which makes the fuel cells uneconomic at best.

I'm not against the idea, as long as people realise that to be a real alternative it has to be just that - a real alternative. And that does mean that household units will be running flat out at times when the house is unoccupied in order to export power to the grid if they are to be a major source of generation.

As for the technical issues about isolating lines for maintenance etc, that is quite easily solvable by incorporating voltage rise protection and anti-islanding into the system. That is conentional technology so no big deal.

 

[frankblack]

This is not necessarily a function of distributed, small generators - a large power station does exactly the same thing in that it adds base / intermediate / peak generation to the grid.

That means that at times the fuel cell needs to be running flat out when nobody is home in order to meet the total load on the grid.

To be specific, the real danger if these became common is that people might not have them running during Summer afternoons since they don't need the heat or hot water produced. That WILL bring down the entire grid unless the grid and conventional power stations continue to be built and expanded as though distributed generation did not exist, a situation which makes the fuel cells uneconomic at best.

The whole idea, for the bluegen or any of CFCLs machines is to run 24/7, 365.
always on, at the same speed. Excess power sold/put into the grid. If excess power can not be sold to the grid at a fair price, the owners can not pay the gas bill, and so it can not work at all.

"To be specific, the real danger if these became common is that people might not have them running during Summer afternoons since they don't need the heat or hot water produced." what the?

You would definitely need it to run then, to power the air conditioner, fridge, and have a hot shower
It's not for the "owner" to to turn on and off, which can not be done practically as it takes 24 hours to start up. Not sure there's any low, medium or high, just on.

 

[MACCA350]

This is not necessarily a function of distributed, small generators - a large power station does exactly the same thing in that it adds base / intermediate / peak generation to the grid.

I was referring to the transmission lines. If there are many individual units in the grid the load over the lines are less then if they are not in the circuit. This means the transmission lines can accommodate a higher number of houses/etc without the need to be upgraded.

One potential major problem with fuel cells or any other distributed generation relates to its load profile given that they are not subject to centralised control.

Just to expand on what Frank has mentioned, the BlueGen units have an Ethernet port for communication between the unit and a central control. Not sure if this is for over the internet, but it may be intended for some kind of closed network.

I read somewhere that CFCL did this to allow the units to be controlled by a central system by the electricity supplier for that particular area(they also mentioned that in this case the supplier would most likely bear some/all of cost of individual units, or some other subsidy). In which case the individual units can be ramped up to full capacity in peak loads and reduced in lower usage times. The benefit of this was that the BlueGen units can increase capacity far quicker then the usual supply methods resulting in less blackouts due to a lag in supply.

cheers

 

[frankblack]

Just to expand on what Frank has mentioned, the BlueGen units have an Ethernet port for communication between the unit and a central control. Not sure if this is for over the internet, but it may be intended for some kind of closed network.

I read somewhere that CFCL did this to allow the units to be controlled by a central system by the electricity supplier

I wonder who controls all the solar panels all ready up and running?
or dont they need controlling because they dont contribute much?
Surely a reliable constant supply doesnt need much controlling at all?
Its for the 'base load' generators to adjust themselves to what extra might be needed.

 

[MACCA350]

I wonder who controls all the solar panels all ready up and running?
or dont they need controlling because they dont contribute much?
Surely a reliable constant supply doesnt need much controlling at all?

My thoughts exactly. As a direct to customer product, it would be up to the customer to decide what output capacity it runs, and if it were mine I'd run it at it's highest output/efficiency to earn it's highest return.

Its for the 'base load' generators to adjust themselves to what extra might be needed.

Problem is, as I understand it, the current 'base load' generators are slow to adjust, meaning there are blackouts during the lag time. CFCL's option would make these type of blackouts a thing of the past...........at least that's what I took from their literature. Though I'm not sure how much of an issue this really is, as we tend to only have blackouts when a car takes out a pole on the nearby main road.

cheers

 

[frankblack]

Read this the other day, i found it interesting,
and was amazed they could claim 80% energy efficiency!
another market being mentioned all the time is California.
seems to be alot of demand, yet the orders/announcements are not coming.
i wonder why????????
http://tinyurl.com/yk5razb
Tokyo, Japan ”” Japan, as a country with few natural energy resources, is eager to come up with alternative energy sources and has been taking the lead in developing this field. This year the world's first household hydrogen fuel cell was made available here. It can provide for a family’s energy needs, but there are some problems.
Japan's major gas companies started selling the Ene-Farm system, which generates electricity and hot water at the same time using the city’s gas supply, in May in major cities. It achieves 80 percent energy efficiency, twice what a conventional power generation system has.

Although it emits a certain amount of carbon dioxide, it still cuts 30 percent of emission of the gas, comparing to a general household using a conventional hot-water system and electricity generated by heat power plants.

If the system becomes widely used, it could contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Japan, the world's fifth-biggest emitter of the gases. For a midterm goal, the country aims to cut its emissions 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

The weak point of the system is that it cannot be an alternative to fossil fuels as the Ene-Farm relies on the city gas supply, made from natural gas, to manufacture hydrogen. Still, since the system reduces primary energy consumption by 33 percent due to its high energy efficiency, it is worthwhile, according to Professor Kazunari Sasaki, director of the International Research Center for Hydrogen Energy at Kyushu University in southern Japan.

"From the viewpoint of promoting the effective use of primary energy, the Ene-Farm fully achieves its purpose," Sasaki said. Energy saving by households is also very important and cutting 30 percent of the emissions from the residential sector is enough, he added.

Another weak point of the system is that it does not work without ordinary electricity, meaning that it cannot be used as an emergency power source in case of a power outage.

But most problematic is the system’s high cost. The Ene-Farm system is priced at US$39,000. The government subsidizes each system by US$15,000, but the buyer still has to pay US$24,000 for the power generation system. This is not cost-effective, as it reduces expenses for electricity and gas by only around US$700 per year, on average.

Noayoshi Ogake, public relations director of Japan's largest gas utility Tokyo Gas, admitted that buyers cannot recover their initial investment even in the long term. From May to October this year, Tokyo Gas has sold 1050 systems, half its target, and planned to sell 42,000 by 2013, Ogake said.

It is not easy to bring down the high cost of hydrogen fuel cells, as manufacturing hydrogen in abundance at a low price is not easy. There are difficult challenges with its manufacturing, storing and transporting.

"Using renewable energy to make hydrogen is under review, but recently we realized that making it efficiently is not easy," said Kenichiro Ota, a professor at Yokohama National University, in a recent speech in Tokyo. "Based on the current infrastructure, we need to promote hydrogen energy with realistic thinking. Of course, depending on fossil fuels is one option."

Speaking to the Hydrogen Energy Systems Society of Japan in late October, Ota, former president of the society and now its adviser, emphasized the importance of introducing a hydrogen economy from the viewpoint of environment preservation. "Since hydrogen is good for the environment, we have no alternative though it costs more," Ota said.

Sasaki also agrees with Ota. "We will manufacture hydrogen by reforming natural gas in the coming 10 to 20 years, but want to use renewable energy in the long and medium terms," Sasaki said.

Japan, which has almost no underground fossil fuels, hopes to introduce hydrogen technology little by little, utilizing current infrastructure to the maximum extent possible. Manufacturers of household fuel cells and fuel-cell vehicles, another leading experimental technology, are counting on this trend to continue.

Some energy experts remain skeptical about hydrogen, however. "Making cars run by electricity is efficient and its zero emissions are wonderful, but it is fatal that the process takes too much energy," said Osamu Amano, a fellow at the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry.

Hydrogen experts believe that its weak points will be resolved in the future, but Amano thinks this is a myth. “I don't think there is a solution," he stressed.

Yasumasa Fujii, a professor at the Graduate School of Engineering of the University of Tokyo, is also skeptical toward hydrogen, pointing out that it cannot compete with electricity because it is economically inefficient.

As for manufacturing hydrogen from water using electricity generated by renewable energy, Fujii says, "The manufactured hydrogen from renewable energy is used to generate electricity again. It takes a roundabout way. We should use electricity generated from renewable energy as electricity itself."

However, he concedes that hydrogen could be useful only as a fuel for vehicles. "In the future, an application that must definitely use hydrogen might be found, but I do not know," Fujii said.

 

[Boyou]

Interesting article...but what do you make of this quote?

"Another weak point of the system is that it does not work without ordinary electricity, meaning that it cannot be used as an emergency power source in case of a power outage."

What is ordinary electricity? .That which is generated in the conventional way ,using coal fired power? ..and why doesn't it work with conventional?

 

[StevieVW]

Interesting article...but what do you make of this quote?

"Another weak point of the system is that it does not work without ordinary electricity, meaning that it cannot be used as an emergency power source in case of a power outage."

What is ordinary electricity? .That which is generated in the conventional way ,using coal fired power? ..and why doesn't it work with conventional?

If the grid goes down it does not produce. Prevents backfeeding when there could be a grid fault. I believe same as solar systems.

 

[frankblack]

Interesting article...but what do you make of this quote?

"Another weak point of the system is that it does not work without ordinary electricity, meaning that it cannot be used as an emergency power source in case of a power outage."

What is ordinary electricity? .That which is generated in the conventional way ,using coal fired power? ..and why doesn't it work with conventional?

Yes, the truth is CFCLs system doesnt work without the grid, or if there is power supply failure from the grid.
exactly why i dont know.
but how many days a year is that likely and how that affects the customers,
is the question??????

 

[Knobby22]

Yes, the truth is CFCLs system doesnt work without the grid, or if there is power supply failure from the grid.
exactly why i dont know.

Because you would trying to feed everyone still connected to the part of the grid that has been disconnected from power stations with the CFU unit or PV system. A really big load from tiny generators, it can't work.
Plus you may be feeding a fault.

There is also the problem of the frequency of the AC with no base load but there's no point getting into detail with that.

Hard to explain, I've got an education in this area.

 

[Boyou]

Thanks for the technicals on this ,Knobby22.I don't have a background in this,so will ask another rube question...or rather suggest something.

So ,granted ,the unit won't distribute when the grid is down ,but,surely it can be isolated so that it can still be used in the house.A simple switch ,either manual or automatic could be set up.

It gives the owner "power autonomy" ..Independence from the grid,in times of outage.Yes? No?

 

[Knobby22]

Thanks for the technicals on this ,Knobby22.I don't have a background in this,so will ask another rube question...or rather suggest something.

So ,granted ,the unit won't distribute when the grid is down ,but,surely it can be isolated so that it can still be used in the house.A simple switch ,either manual or automatic could be set up.

It gives the owner "power autonomy" ..Independence from the grid,in times of outage.Yes? No?

It could be done, Boyou. It is not a UPS so there would need to be a short period of down time. Also, there would need to be an automatic changeover switch and software so it would obviously cost more. In countries where power is poor such as Indonesia, it would be a real plus. Maybe they will build a version with this capability one day.

 

[MACCA350]

You'd probably need a bank of batteries in that case also due to the fluctuations of individual demand.

cheers

 

[Tanr]

In regards to power feeding back to grid when grid down have been advised by electricity(Aurora) here in Tas that if system is down your house has to be down. Problem from there view is you could feed power back in and zap a worker. They also advise that it is illegal to have a switching unit in place to use power yourself when grid is down and there are large fines if caught.
Was trying to use a micro hydro system and had to do research.

 

[noco]

In regards to power feeding back to grid when grid down have been advised by electricity(Aurora) here in Tas that if system is down your house has to be down. Problem from there view is you could feed power back in and zap a worker. They also advise that it is illegal to have a switching unit in place to use power yourself when grid is down and there are large fines if caught.
Was trying to use a micro hydro system and had to do research.

Can anyone tell me if this applies to Solar power?

Have a friend in Townsville who tells me his excess goes back into the grid and reverses his meter.

Am interested in any opinions as I'm a dumb bu*@ger when it comes to sparks.

 

[frankblack]

In regards to power feeding back to grid when grid down have been advised by electricity(Aurora) here in Tas that if system is down your house has to be down. Problem from there view is you could feed power back in and zap a worker. They also advise that it is illegal to have a switching unit in place to use power yourself when grid is down and there are large fines if caught.
Was trying to use a micro hydro system and had to do research.

And all of this is not unique in the world.
back in the U.S.A. they are doing stuff too.

The intent of the ClearEdge5 is to provide your base and load power, supplementing energy use from a major power grid, not to replace it completely. In the event of a power outage, the unit will disconnect from the grid. If the customer chooses, the site can be configured for the ClearEdge5 to power essential circuits to cover important customer needs, such as lighting, a wine cooler or refrigerator.

for more have a look at the FAQ. ClearEdge are doing the same thing as CFU
only slightly bigger.
http://tinyurl.com/ykuclsz

My view is, if this technology takes off there will be an evolution as to where it goes and what the customers demand, who meets the demand and which companies capitalize.
Early days.

 

[yma]

Has any heard anything about CFU to begin sales of fuel cell electricity generators to households? A bit quiet these days

 

[Smurf1976]

Can anyone tell me if this applies to Solar power?

Have a friend in Townsville who tells me his excess goes back into the grid and reverses his meter.

Am interested in any opinions as I'm a dumb bu*@ger when it comes to sparks.

Small grid-connected generation (solar PV, fuel cells etc) in the way it is typically applied is not capable of independently maintaining frequency and voltage in an islanded grid. But yes, they can and do feed power back into the grid and this will reduce your power bills.

In layman's terms, that means it generates power but is "tied" to the grid and conventional power stations - your solar or fuel cell doesn't itself maintain a stable 240V 50Hz supply but rather, the grid forces it to do nothing else. In other words, your 1 kW solar panels can't fight and win against multiple large power stations, many of them over 1 million kW each, and will thus maintain frequency as per the grid.

That doesn't affect it producing power, yes grid connected solar installations do work and do feed power into the grid, but it does mean we can't run the entire grid this way. We still need conventional centrally dispatched generation (that is, large power stations) as well as other sources to make the whole thing work.

Much the same scenario applies to large scale (power company) wind generation and this is one of the things that limits its use. Also it applies to DC transmission links as well.

To illustrate the point, the situation at off-peak times in Tasmania is a good one. Under extreme minimum load conditions (middle of the night in Summer), up to 50% of total load could in theory be supplied from Victoria via Basslink (the Vic - Tas DC power cable) with another 15% from local wind generation if it's windy enough.

Now the problem is this. The wind generation and the DC link are both inherently unstable, they work satisfactorily only because conventional (mostly hydro in Tasmania's case) power stations maintain control of system frequency. And it goes without saying that having 65% of the load supplied from sources that depend on the remaining 35% to work is pushing the limits technically - it only works because of a rather complicated system which automatically sheds industrial loads in the event of a system disturbance.

Incidents and industrial load trips are fairly common, it's just that the major industries take it for granted (that is why they get cheap power - the product they are getting is very different to what you're paying far more for at home, hence it should be and is cheaper) and the public never hears about it.

But even with that system in place, flow across Basslink is very often constrained by system stability limits rather than the capacity of Basslink itself or the underlying desirability at the time of transferring power across it. And we still end up with multiple hydro plants operating at very low output (under 10% of capacity, sometimes way below that) ready to take up load in the event that something happens with Basslink / wind.

In the case of your home, it's not impossible to install an isolating and change-over switch to run the house from some source other than the grid. That can be done perfectly legally. However, you'll need a PV (solar) inverter that is set up to handle such operation for it to work, and you will find it very problematic for a single small system given the constant wide variation in solar output and also the variations in your consumption unless you've got a big inverter and some batteries to balance the load.

With a fuel cell it could in theory work better, except for the reality that they are baseload units not intended for load following. That is, it would work to keep your aquarium, clocks and other constant loads running nicely but the sudden load change when you turn the kettle on is a major problem.

In short, yes all these fuel cells, solar etc can work (I've got panels on my roof) but only up to a point. We still need the grid and conventional power stations under centralised control in order to keep the system balanced. If we're going to use renewables for that, then hydro or pumped storage is really the only option available that's reasonably cheap, doesn't involve a huge amount of toxic materials and which actually works.

Realistically, if you want back-up power at home then in most situations a diesel, petrol or gas (internal combustion engine, not fuel cell) generator or alternatively an inverter of some type with a large battery is the way to go for most people. Sure, put PV (solar) or a fuel cell in if you want to cut your bills and do something for the environment, but it's not the best way to protect yourself from blackouts under most circumstances.

What's worthwhile as blackout protection depends on how much you want to spend and what you want to use it for. If you're in the bush and just want to keep the fridge and a couple of lights going during an extended blackout then a petrol generator and an extension lead will be your cheapest and easieset option. But if you're sitting in front of the computer day trading then a UPS is sensible and you might want a permanently installed generator as well if you stand to lose enough $ due to a power failure to make such insurance measures worthwhile.

Don't forget however that grid power is about 99.95% reliable for the average consumer (yes I know it's nowhere near as good in some areas). So unless you really do need something better, for most people it wouldn't be worth spending the money on back-up. How much are you really prepared to pay for 4 hours a year?

I'm a licensed electrician and if you look closely at my avatar (as of now, will probably change it someday) you'll see it's a power station control room...

 

[noco]

Small grid-connected generation (solar PV, fuel cells etc) in the way it is typically applied is not capable of independently maintaining frequency and voltage in an islanded grid. But yes, they can and do feed power back into the grid and this will reduce your power bills.

In layman's terms, that means it generates power but is "tied" to the grid and conventional power stations - your solar or fuel cell doesn't itself maintain a stable 240V 50Hz supply but rather, the grid forces it to do nothing else. In other words, your 1 kW solar panels can't fight and win against multiple large power stations, many of them over 1 million kW each, and will thus maintain frequency as per the grid.

That doesn't affect it producing power, yes grid connected solar installations do work and do feed power into the grid, but it does mean we can't run the entire grid this way. We still need conventional centrally dispatched generation (that is, large power stations) as well as other sources to make the whole thing work.

Much the same scenario applies to large scale (power company) wind generation and this is one of the things that limits its use. Also it applies to DC transmission links as well.

To illustrate the point, the situation at off-peak times in Tasmania is a good one. Under extreme minimum load conditions (middle of the night in Summer), up to 50% of total load could in theory be supplied from Victoria via Basslink (the Vic - Tas DC power cable) with another 15% from local wind generation if it's windy enough.

Now the problem is this. The wind generation and the DC link are both inherently unstable, they work satisfactorily only because conventional (mostly hydro in Tasmania's case) power stations maintain control of system frequency. And it goes without saying that having 65% of the load supplied from sources that depend on the remaining 35% to work is pushing the limits technically - it only works because of a rather complicated system which automatically sheds industrial loads in the event of a system disturbance.

Incidents and industrial load trips are fairly common, it's just that the major industries take it for granted (that is why they get cheap power - the product they are getting is very different to what you're paying far more for at home, hence it should be and is cheaper) and the public never hears about it.

But even with that system in place, flow across Basslink is very often constrained by system stability limits rather than the capacity of Basslink itself or the underlying desirability at the time of transferring power across it. And we still end up with multiple hydro plants operating at very low output (under 10% of capacity, sometimes way below that) ready to take up load in the event that something happens with Basslink / wind.

In the case of your home, it's not impossible to install an isolating and change-over switch to run the house from some source other than the grid. That can be done perfectly legally. However, you'll need a PV (solar) inverter that is set up to handle such operation for it to work, and you will find it very problematic for a single small system given the constant wide variation in solar output and also the variations in your consumption unless you've got a big inverter and some batteries to balance the load.

With a fuel cell it could in theory work better, except for the reality that they are baseload units not intended for load following. That is, it would work to keep your aquarium, clocks and other constant loads running nicely but the sudden load change when you turn the kettle on is a major problem.

In short, yes all these fuel cells, solar etc can work (I've got panels on my roof) but only up to a point. We still need the grid and conventional power stations under centralised control in order to keep the system balanced. If we're going to use renewables for that, then hydro or pumped storage is really the only option available that's reasonably cheap, doesn't involve a huge amount of toxic materials and which actually works.

Realistically, if you want back-up power at home then in most situations a diesel, petrol or gas (internal combustion engine, not fuel cell) generator or alternatively an inverter of some type with a large battery is the way to go for most people. Sure, put PV (solar) or a fuel cell in if you want to cut your bills and do something for the environment, but it's not the best way to protect yourself from blackouts under most circumstances.

What's worthwhile as blackout protection depends on how much you want to spend and what you want to use it for. If you're in the bush and just want to keep the fridge and a couple of lights going during an extended blackout then a petrol generator and an extension lead will be your cheapest and easieset option. But if you're sitting in front of the computer day trading then a UPS is sensible and you might want a permanently installed generator as well if you stand to lose enough $ due to a power failure to make such insurance measures worthwhile.

Don't forget however that grid power is about 99.95% reliable for the average consumer (yes I know it's nowhere near as good in some areas). So unless you really do need something better, for most people it wouldn't be worth spending the money on back-up. How much are you really prepared to pay for 4 hours a year?

I'm a licensed electrician and if you look closely at my avatar (as of now, will probably change it someday) you'll see it's a power station control room...

Thanks for that run down Smirf, I feel better informed now.

With the extreme cold weather in Europe this winter, perhaps we may see some movement in the sale of Blu Gen sets. No wonder they are being manufactured in Germany.

 

[ShareDevil]

Small grid-connected generation (solar PV, fuel cells etc) in the way it is typically applied is not capable of independently maintaining frequency and voltage in an islanded grid. But yes, they can and do feed power back into the grid and this will reduce your power bills.

In layman's terms, that means it generates power but is "tied" to the grid and conventional power stations - your solar or fuel cell doesn't itself maintain a stable 240V 50Hz supply but rather, the grid forces it to do nothing else. In other words, your 1 kW solar panels can't fight and win against multiple large power stations, many of them over 1 million kW each, and will thus maintain frequency as per the grid.

That doesn't affect it producing power, yes grid connected solar installations do work and do feed power into the grid, but it does mean we can't run the entire grid this way. We still need conventional centrally dispatched generation (that is, large power stations) as well as other sources to make the whole thing work.

Much the same scenario applies to large scale (power company) wind generation and this is one of the things that limits its use. Also it applies to DC transmission links as well.

To illustrate the point, the situation at off-peak times in Tasmania is a good one. Under extreme minimum load conditions (middle of the night in Summer), up to 50% of total load could in theory be supplied from Victoria via Basslink (the Vic - Tas DC power cable) with another 15% from local wind generation if it's windy enough.

Now the problem is this. The wind generation and the DC link are both inherently unstable, they work satisfactorily only because conventional (mostly hydro in Tasmania's case) power stations maintain control of system frequency. And it goes without saying that having 65% of the load supplied from sources that depend on the remaining 35% to work is pushing the limits technically - it only works because of a rather complicated system which automatically sheds industrial loads in the event of a system disturbance.

Incidents and industrial load trips are fairly common, it's just that the major industries take it for granted (that is why they get cheap power - the product they are getting is very different to what you're paying far more for at home, hence it should be and is cheaper) and the public never hears about it.

But even with that system in place, flow across Basslink is very often constrained by system stability limits rather than the capacity of Basslink itself or the underlying desirability at the time of transferring power across it. And we still end up with multiple hydro plants operating at very low output (under 10% of capacity, sometimes way below that) ready to take up load in the event that something happens with Basslink / wind.

In the case of your home, it's not impossible to install an isolating and change-over switch to run the house from some source other than the grid. That can be done perfectly legally. However, you'll need a PV (solar) inverter that is set up to handle such operation for it to work, and you will find it very problematic for a single small system given the constant wide variation in solar output and also the variations in your consumption unless you've got a big inverter and some batteries to balance the load.

With a fuel cell it could in theory work better, except for the reality that they are baseload units not intended for load following. That is, it would work to keep your aquarium, clocks and other constant loads running nicely but the sudden load change when you turn the kettle on is a major problem.

In short, yes all these fuel cells, solar etc can work (I've got panels on my roof) but only up to a point. We still need the grid and conventional power stations under centralised control in order to keep the system balanced. If we're going to use renewables for that, then hydro or pumped storage is really the only option available that's reasonably cheap, doesn't involve a huge amount of toxic materials and which actually works.

Realistically, if you want back-up power at home then in most situations a diesel, petrol or gas (internal combustion engine, not fuel cell) generator or alternatively an inverter of some type with a large battery is the way to go for most people. Sure, put PV (solar) or a fuel cell in if you want to cut your bills and do something for the environment, but it's not the best way to protect yourself from blackouts under most circumstances.

What's worthwhile as blackout protection depends on how much you want to spend and what you want to use it for. If you're in the bush and just want to keep the fridge and a couple of lights going during an extended blackout then a petrol generator and an extension lead will be your cheapest and easieset option. But if you're sitting in front of the computer day trading then a UPS is sensible and you might want a permanently installed generator as well if you stand to lose enough $ due to a power failure to make such insurance measures worthwhile.

Don't forget however that grid power is about 99.95% reliable for the average consumer (yes I know it's nowhere near as good in some areas). So unless you really do need something better, for most people it wouldn't be worth spending the money on back-up. How much are you really prepared to pay for 4 hours a year?

I'm a licensed electrician and if you look closely at my avatar (as of now, will probably change it someday) you'll see it's a power station control room...

CFU have nothing to do with maintaining a households power during a blackout, the same way grid PV doesn't. They don't claim to either. The grid interactive inverters used in both systems, sync with the grid. Like you say, get batteries if that floats your boat.

CFU's advantage is that the units can be controlled from afar, regardless of sunlight or wind, and produce electricity to fill a gap. This gap can be caused by many things, kettles being one. Oh and heat is also a bonus for heating water.

To quote your example of the kettle. If we knew the kettles were going to be turned on (ie:it's over 40 degrees and AC's are going mental) then we could fire up another fuel cell to cover it, or in the case of a power company, a shed load of them located all over the place.

I agree, a central power station is still necessary, but these units can allow a power company to expand a section of grid and cover high demand use locally, therefore being more efficient and saving on grid upgrades.

What if an entire SkyScraper was powered (covered it's load) by it's own set of fuel cells by day, and fed excess to grid at night, WHEN needed?

Kind of like turning all the solar panels in Australia on at night. That would be handy to a power company wouldn't it?