Toyota Affirms Its Home Fuel-Cell Power and Heating Plans
07 December 2005
Kyodo. Toyota Motor affirmed that it is continuing to develop fuel-cell units for home heating and power based on its automotive fuel-cell work. The automaker will work with Aisin Seiki Co. to launch home fuel-cell energy systems in the Japanese market around 2008.
Toyota began discussing the development of home fuel-cell-based systems in 2001. The company has already been cooperating with Toho Gas Co. to test a fuel-cell co-generation system in some houses in central Japan.
The Toyota system reforms natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas or kerosene feedstocks to generate hydrogen, then uses a fuel cell to generate electricity.
Toyota is also planning to take part in government-subsidized fuel cell demonstration tests, in which many gas utilities and fuel cell makers will participate.
Tokyo Gas, for example, has teamed up with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. to initiate a fuel cell system leasing program last February in a bid to sell thousands of units of the system annually in and after fiscal 2008. (Earlier post.)
For home fuel cell systems to spread widely in Japan, the price would have to reach around ¥500,000 (US$4,100) with improved durability, according to Toyota. A present system costs more than 10 times the target price.
Honda is also developing home systems for hydrogen generation, heating and power. (Earlier post.)
Home LNG to electricity plants will never be as cheap to produce electricity out of as what a dedicated LNG powerplant can provide. Even with all the transmission losses. And not because the home plants are that much less efficient as much as the return on investment for buying the gear in the first place.
It is about as bad as getting your money back for buying a flimsy Prius compared to getting a comfortable saloon that does 30 Mpg for half the price. The fuel saving per tank will break you even in 20-30 yrs by which time we will be using 100cc cars that produce 400hp (jokes)
And to be constructive in the argument, why not subsidise people that buy full blown solar arrays for their houses. At lease we'll know that when the the gas runs dry we won't be left powerless. A community of linked arrays can be self sufficient to run important appliances like fridges and xbox360s 8)
Posted by: Adrian | 08 December 2005 at 12:23 AM
It also makes hot water and likely heat for the home too.
Posted by: wintermane | 08 December 2005 at 11:41 AM
The electricity is a by product. Heating the home is its main business and as such you only have to look if the produced electricity covers the cost difference with a regular gas heater
Posted by: Charly | 09 December 2005 at 05:37 AM
Interested in home power by hydrogen made by solar
Posted by: Roy H. Taylor | 11 February 2008 at 04:58 PM
Things are going smoothly so far, as the chefs dance around each other in the unfamiliar kitchen and try to figure out what the hell they’ re making. Fleasa lightly complains that her back is on fire and she means it literally— as Antonia has the door of the wood- burning stove open to allow it to breathe and get hotter. Antonia somewhat reluctantly closes the door a bit, saying she doesn’ t want the fire to die. Fleasa jokes,“ What about me? What if I die?” To which Antonia offhandedly and awesomely answers: “ ...
Posted by: Make A Fireplace | 25 August 2008 at 07:44 AM