Reuters: Honda drives toward home solar hydrogen refueling

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1212479020100313?type=marketsNews

Honda drives toward home solar hydrogen refueling

* Hydrogen car FCX Clarity to go to market around 2018

* Carmaker touts solar-powered home refueling option

* 48 solar panels for 10,000 miles per year

By Mary Milliken

TORRANCE, California, March 12 (Reuters) - Coming not so soon and probably not to a house near you is the home solar hydrogen refueling station -- Honda Motor Co's (7267.T) latest idea in its drive to make hydrogen the fuel of choice for zero emission cars.

The Japanese auto giant believes hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles offer the best long-term alternative to fossil fuels and the company showed on Friday a refueling breakthrough that it says points to a home version down the road.

Most major automakers have spent billions of dollars in researching hydrogen-powered fuel cells, tempted by the idea of a car that uses no gasoline and emits only water vapor. But Honda is widely seen as the hydrogen leader, while others like General Motors GM.UL put more effort into battery-powered electric vehicles like the upcoming Volt.

One of the big barriers to hydrogen car deployment is the lack of refueling infrastructure, leading Honda to bet that the future lies in combining a public station network with a more modest home option.

...

[Kolesar]

1. The station uses a 6-kilowatt solar array,...

... composed of 48 panels and thin film solar cells developed by a Honda subsidiary. It breaks down the water into hydrogen in what Honda calls a "virtually carbon-free energy cycle."

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. Now, imagine using this technology...

(I'll bet Honda already has imagined it.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=234625&mesg_id=234625

[Merchant Marine]

3. I've seen the installation costs for solar panels quoted as $5k per kw on this site.

So the panels alone would be $30k. How much is the cracking unit on top of that?