Wind turbine combined with fuel cell awaits patent

[jpak]

http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/FuelCellToday/IndustryInformation/IndustryInformationExternal/NewsDisplayArticle/0,1602,8883,00.html

Solatec has announced US patents are pending on a new wind turbine that uses a fuel cell system.

Fuller Wind Turbine System uses a wind-power turbine to power an electrolysis unit, which separates hydrogen and oxygen in a closed-loop water reservoir, and then stores the two gases in high pressure storage tanks.

The tanks then provide a fuel cell with the compressed gases.

Solatec founder Howard J Fuller said: "By combining the wind turbine with a fuel cell system, an uneconomic and undependable power source is turned into a far more valuable, utility-grade, 'peaking' power-generation system.

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[Selatius]

1. What an ingenius concept.

So simple it would've taken me a while to think of combining the two myself. Sometimes I think too much "in the box." For example, when you say, "fuel cell," I'm thinking of the problems surrounding fuel cell technology, such as storage of hydrogen or where one derives the energy (fossil fuels or nuclear power, for example) to process hydrogen. Thinking about combining it with wind turbines would've been one not on my desk.

[jpak]

3. Hydrogen fuel cell PV and wind systems have been operating for some time now

The Schatz Solar Hydrogen Project...

http://www.humboldt.edu/~serc/trinidad.html

and on the Norwegian Island of Utsira...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4853004/

[eppur_se_muova]

4. That's why I wondered how it could be patentable ... must be patenting one

special feature? This is the first thing any engineer would think of.

[kestrel91316]

2. Yay. This is the kind of outside-the-box thinking we need more of.

Where can I get ME one of these things? One for home, one for the office!

[meow mix]

5. we cannot build these due to the pollution it would create

during the manufacturing.

we can however build a lot of nuke plants, everywhere. about 3 per 10 square miles should cover it.

we also can continue to build lava lamps, toaster ovens, usb toy missle launchers, ipods, coffee grinders, fake plants, lightbrites, personal massage chairs, pink barbie jeeps, snow mobiles, 300 inch televisions, adjustable beds, air conditioners, heated travel mugs, ect ect...
all these things are fine..

but for god's sake we CANNOT build a lot of renewable energy infrastructure. whatever form it may take.

that was about the lamest stupidest argument i ever ever heard. im glad people stopped using it...

[piedmont]

6. What's patentable about combining wind turbines with electrolysis?

Sheesh. Maybe I should apply for a patent for hooking up a fuel cell to a hamster wheel. :eyes:

[Strelnikov_]

7. Why not battery or fly-wheel storage?

We are talking a stationary application, after all.

The inefficiency and cost of ReH is similar for both stationary and mobile applications.





We have the technology we need now. No research or engineering breakthroughs required. We just need to start producing at an industrial scale to effect economies of scale.

[hunter]

8. I'm curious too...

I'm not looking it up, but I figure the patent must have to do with the control electronics and configuration -- same sorts of things as the patents with hybrid cars.