GE has been able to develop a procedure which will make development of Solid-Oxide fuel cells that uses gasified coal as a hydrogen fuel source economically viable. The main stumbling block of this technology has always been the high cost of production of the fuel cell.
The technology touts a 50% energy efficiency of energy conversion, compared to conventional power plants 35%.
This is a great breakthrough. Economies of scale and mass adoption could bring the cost down further. There was no mention however of how long down the road before we could expect to see this technology being used.
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Category: New Tech, Coal
