EFL
'Cool' fuel cells could revolutionize Earth's energy resources
UH researchers developing efficient, practical power source alternatives
HOUSTON, July 22, 2004 [just saw this refered to on another site] — As temperatures soar this summer, so do electric bills. Researchers at the University of Houston are striving toward decreasing those costs with the next revolution in power generation.
Imagine a power source so small, yet so efficient, that it could make cumbersome power plants virtually obsolete while lowering your electric bill [this is a little misleading- the technology is for electricity storage not generation - one reason we have big power plants is for the economies of scale in controlling pollution- you still have to generate electricity somehow]. A breakthrough in thin film solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is currently being refined in labs at the University of Houston, making that dream a reality.
Originating from research at UH's Texas Center for Superconductivity and Advanced Materials (TcSAM), these SOFCs of the "thin film" variety are both efficient and compact. With potential ranging from use in the government in matters of defense and space travel to driving forces in the consumer market that include computers and electricity, this breakthrough carries tremendous impact.
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