OK, I know this may seem a little far-out but I remain convinced that
fuel cells are the "perfect" e-boat solution. Not as primary power, but
as "continuous" chargers.
I think we can all agree that eboat benefits are about
noise/smell/
For example - on my boat with 200AH (lead-acid) capacity, I have about
2 hours of cruising time @ 2KW draw to 60% DOD. That has averaged out
pretty well for a typical day of sailing on SF bay (some days <20AH
total, some days >80).
But with continuous charging (500W) a couple of interesting things
happen. I get another 45min (40%) of cruising (in 5 hours average
sailing day). Plus extended cruising is now enabled. Lets say I tap out
and want to anchor for the night somewhere without power. 500watts
continuous over 10 hours = 5KW. That's pretty much topped the batteries
off again and I have another day of sailing. In 15 hours I will have
used about 7gallons of fuel - not inconsiderable, but manageable (oh and
you can cook with it too)
For all their power density - lithium batteries can't touch this - at
most they just delay the inevitable for another day. Marine genny's are
expensive AND they fail the noise/smell/
test.
I'm contacting several of the vendors now. This one looks most
promising:
http://www.ird.
<http://www.ird.
unit (consuming about 1g/hour) which improves the equation even more.
Based on pricing info so far, these systems are cheaper in capital
outlay than either Li cells or marine genny's (< $10K) - and net
cost-to-run is cheaper than lead-acid (membrane life is still a concern,
but I expect that to evolve rapidly). You get full house-power for your
flat-screen and ice-maker. Drinking water (and unfortunately a little
CO2) and heat to boot.
Thoughts?
-Keith
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