Tuesday, September 17, 2019
More Jesus Why
Another Jesus! Why would anyone want to PAY for this product?
Via the Tesla skeptics, a lengthy analysis of a fake IPO for a fuel cell company.
Crucial points:
The company has sucked in $1 billion in government subsidies.
The fuel cell installations cost $892 per KW, and expected lifetime of each fuel cell is 34 months. Less than 3 years.
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I ran the numbers last year on a similar comparison of lithium ion batteries with Edison's eternal Nickel-Iron batteries:
= = = = = START REPRINT:
The Lithium setup cost 41 million Aussie dollars, which is 29 million US.
For comparison I'm using the retail price list from Iron Edison, figured for small installations. The price for a huge installation would involve a lot less overhead, but I don't have access to those numbers and I'm not going to ask them for a quote! So the best I can do is plain multiplication.
Using the retail numbers, the biggest available pack is 48 volts at 1000 amp-hours = 48 KWH. This setup is listed at $42k dollars = $875 per KWH. If you simply put together enough of these to reach 100 MWH, the cost would be $87.5 million. About three times the cost for the Lithium setup.
The real difference comes in upkeep and replacement, not initial cost. Lithium batteries last two years, so the Lithium outfit was already halfway to the first replacement point when it finished testing. Nickel-Iron lasts INDEFINITELY. Iron Edison recommends flushing and replacing the electrolyte every TEN years. NiFe batteries made by Edison have lasted 90 years in continuous use.
= = = = = END REPRINT.
In this case the comparison is even more dramatic because the fuel cells cost the same per KW as the nickel-iron. So lifetime is the only variable. 3 years versus forever. Which is better?
Labels: variables and variables
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