Propane Fuel Cell
This looks very interesting.
https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-tips/the-watt-fuel-cell-coming-to-an-rv-near-you/
.34 lbs/hour for 500 watts. .34 pounds of propane has around 2,150wh of energy, so this is around 23% efficient with is close to that of a generator. If this was coupled with a large battery bank, you would have near silent power all the time. With 500 watts of solar added on this, on a sunny day you would get over 1,200 amp/hours from a 12v battery bank. That should be enough to run an AC straight for 10 hours.
I haven't found a confirmation on price, but I have read on some threads people claim it is going to be around $5,000. A used Nissan leaf battery pack of 24 kWh is around $5,000. An in inverter, BMS, 500 watts of solar, and you are probably around $13,000. You could probably get $2,500 for a used propane generator. So, maybe just over $10K all in. Would it be worth it to you?
If we ever develop a decent hydrogen network, then hydrogen would be a far better fuel. At the present $14/kg, it would cost around twice that of propane per kWh, but future technologies are expected to get it around $2/kg.
https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-tips/the-watt-fuel-cell-coming-to-an-rv-near-you/
.34 lbs/hour for 500 watts. .34 pounds of propane has around 2,150wh of energy, so this is around 23% efficient with is close to that of a generator. If this was coupled with a large battery bank, you would have near silent power all the time. With 500 watts of solar added on this, on a sunny day you would get over 1,200 amp/hours from a 12v battery bank. That should be enough to run an AC straight for 10 hours.
I haven't found a confirmation on price, but I have read on some threads people claim it is going to be around $5,000. A used Nissan leaf battery pack of 24 kWh is around $5,000. An in inverter, BMS, 500 watts of solar, and you are probably around $13,000. You could probably get $2,500 for a used propane generator. So, maybe just over $10K all in. Would it be worth it to you?
If we ever develop a decent hydrogen network, then hydrogen would be a far better fuel. At the present $14/kg, it would cost around twice that of propane per kWh, but future technologies are expected to get it around $2/kg.
