Re:Lightcell: An engine that uses light to make electricity
by datadrivenangel on Friday January 17, 2025 @02:53PM
(#42742536)
The better comparison is Fuel Cells and vehicle based electrical generators. So you could put this in a vehicle or remote location, run it off hydrogen or natural gas, and get better efficiency. Potentially this could be a much better option for longer term storage in remote areas as well, where excess solar/wind could be used to crack hydrogen which then gets stored and later burned in one of these instead of a much much larger battery installation.
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Re:Lightcell: An engine that uses light to make electricity
by jandrese on Friday January 17, 2025 @02:56PM
(#42742571)
You still need to truck in the sodium additive even if you're cracking water on site to store the H2. Dunno if you need a couple of mg/kg or if it is like 5% of the fuel to make it burn at the right color.
Re:Lightcell: An engine that uses light to make electricity
by hgomersall on Friday January 17, 2025 @04:52PM
(#42743646)
My understanding of fuel cells is they are rather sensitive to the purity of the fuel and oxygen. I wonder if this system is less sensitive such that, say, piped hydrogen can be used.