Finally we can all sleep at night, safe in the knowledge that Sony has created a prototype fuel cell system that fits in the palm of your hand. The combination lithium-polymer battery, backup battery, and control circuit are destined for future mobile devices. According to a company engineer, "We have been aiming to mount (a fuel-cell system) in mobile devices and finally reached a level of commercial design." The tiny power-pack uses methanol as a fuel and controls supply with a hybrid pump, which allows it to regulate the amount of power used based on a system's needs. The company claims that just 10ml of methanol can power a mobile device through 14 hours of 1seg movie watching. Sure, it sounds good on paper, but does this mean soon we'll have to visit tiny, methanol refilling stations manned by a team of mice in jumpsuits? Probably not.
posted May 4th 2008 11:20AM
Which is precisely why we need to get off of fossil fuels entirely right now. Stop burning things, tear down coal plants, and build nuclear plants immediately. Once the energy supply is green, who cares how long it takes to electrolyze water?
25 years of spent nuclear fuel isn't a challenge to handle at all. And then we can switch everything over to solar. Fusion a few decades later.
That was supposed to be a reply to JoshL above. Stupid comment system... When I hit reply, I frakking MEAN reply.
I imagine the people who are going to end up paying for the expense of electrolyzing it will care. (This would be the consumer. ie. You and me.)
It doesn't matter how "green" the power generating infrastructure is; switching to nuclear, solar, wind, geothermal, or anything else isn't going to make the electrolysis process any more efficient. Trying to mass-produce H2 using the current inefficient methods would put tremendous strain on the power grid. Rolling brownouts are still rolling brownouts even if the power you're (not) getting is generated with "green" methods.
you do realize that some bacteria actually produce methanol naturally. its the reason why it occurs naturally in the environment...
lets not convince anything that ends with an "thanol" with a fossil fuel, just for future reference..
wow... i still cant wait till nanotechnology gets ahead! Anyways, anybody want to invest in a methanol station with me?
Something like fill your car up and charge your cellphone all in 1 place! Maybe we can offer free wifi and coffee.
Sony is know for its advances in miniaturizing many of our daily gadgets... Now they have miniaturized our ability to turn methane into CO2 and warm the planet while Nero plays on out mp3 player...
Fuel cells do not work this way!
Please do a little research before opening your mouth next time...
Seeing as how CO2 levels lag behind the temperature, I would say you sir are a retard. try reading up on the subject before being like every other climate crisis asshat and spouting off what Al Gore tells you to.
An Inconvienent Truth is just a really long episode of "I'm super serial guys, we HAVE to stop manbearpig!"
you sir...are an idiot
It’s just another distraction. Why not go with a petrol fuel cell, they can charge more for the fuel (tongue-in-cheek). Oil is renewable. Better still-A permanent magnet can run electricity forever. Why doesn’t someone (who can protect themselves against assassination) just do something with Tesla technology or water power, so we can all get on with life. It’s the corporations that are making the money on this and more profits, rather than supplying a worthy, green and permanent solution. They are just shuffling the deckchairs.
Yay! Because nothing sound more appealing than a FUEL TANK in my pocket, as close to my skin as possible.
er- "sounds"
I was paralyzed with fear of `splosions and forget an "s".
Just like every smoker lives in constant fear of the fuel tank *cough* I mean lighter they carry right? right??
Yeah, didn't think so...
People have become such pussies about certain things, I would not be surprised some that comment here would actually be afraid to have a lighter in their pocket, both because they fear catching fire AND fear their government would not approve..
I have to wonder, where does the CO2/H2O go? Is there some sort of condensation/storage unit in the tiny little thing? Or does it vent hot steam into my pocket?
Yes, it vents hot steam straight into your pocket. It also injects you with poison every 15 minutes.
Thanks for answering my question Nigel, you've been very helpful.
Cow-sh*t put to good use: power your mobile gadget with it!!
Cows? Think "people" as in "my battery is dying, hold on while I......".
dude, if you poop methane, you're an alien...
I heard about (human) urine batteries.
methanol, not methane
"...does this mean soon we'll have to visit tiny, methanol refilling stations manned by a team of mice in jumpsuits?..."
LMAO! Loved that one! =D
these are all valid questions, but the one we really need to be asking is.... will it blend?
correction, these are all valid questions except the one you just asked
1. Nuclear plants solve the oil addiction in3 or 4 years (they are not build overnight, you know) but what to do then with the nuclear waste in 100 years? It's bread for today, hunger for tomorrow, as happened with oil 100 years ago.
2. Food prices are now being pumped up because China and India increase of consumption, not because of oil only (an increase on the price of oil, affects everything, because all goods need to be transported and even goods are made from oil, such as plastic, drugs, etc.).
3. 14 hours, lets say, 8 hours for real, with 10 ml of methanol, it's pure awesomeness. For those non metric, do a quick google and find out how much alcohol is. A shot of vodka has enough alcohol to feed the thing for 16 hours.
4. The methanol is renewable, no matter what. We just need to find out a way to produce it more efficiently and with less land usage, machines, etc. but we need a start. Without a real problem, there are no real solutions.
5. Cheap H2 is the future, but far future. We must get real, not idealistic.
Easy, just use it as fuel. If it's radioactive, there's still energy that can be obtained from it. Decent reactor designs can "burn" anything.
http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/8/8c/400px-CANDU_fuel_cycles.jpg
Most methanol is currently produced from natural gas. I like the energy dense power supply, and the refillable without plugging in thing, but I have concerns.
First, the thing emits steam, so you probably wouldn't want it in yor pocket.
Second, unlike ethanol, methanol is extremely toxic. Its what makes you blind when you drink moonshine which wasn't prepared properly.
As little as 2mL can kill you, and long term exposure to methanol vapor is not a good thing.
Methanol, being a very small molecule, is readily absorbed through the skin. Vapors are readily absorbed through the lungs.
Not a good thing to spill when refilling, for instance.
There is no way on God's green earth that this thing will be approved for widespread use. However, if it is, the Lawyers will have a field day.
wonder if this could power iron man's suit?
cool
The best part about a DMFC: no recharge time!
Just pop in another 50th-percentile-IQ-proof canister of methanol and the thing just keeps purring away.
Funny... by some of the posts here, I think some people are worried they'd be carrying a steam engine around in their pocket.
So fearful of the unknown/misunderstood.
I can see the day when airlines, in the USA at least, require all passengers to remain unconscious from check-in time until they find themselves on a baggage carousel. So, forget taking methanol on board!
It's curious... cars going for electricity as main energy source and cell phones going for fuel hehe
"There is no way on God's green earth that this thing will be approved for widespread use." Funny you should say that. The Department of Transportation just approved the transport of up to 750 ml of methanol in fuel cell cartridges on commercial aircraft, by regular old passengers. So, I can climb on my plane with nearly a liter of nasty, but no toenail clippers. I'm not saying it's a great idea, but you would be surprised what the industry is getting established as permissible material on planes. The really funny part is that they approved methanol cartridges up to 250 ml in volume, but the TSA prohibits me from bringing more than 100 ml of toothpaste on-board. Go figure.
Most of these direct methanol fuel cells use heavily diluted methanol (mostly water)
So dilute, in fact, that as a poster above notes, refill cartridges have already been approved to be carried on aircraft.
You'll probably have to buy the refills, instead of rolling your own with straight methanol, but the refills won't poison you or be an ignition hazard.
Nice, the Hinden-battery to be accompanied by the Hinden-charger.
"Soon to be exploding in Dell laptops at a conference near you!"
Still a great idea, I just want to see some better Hydrogen generating processes, especially considering the ones I've read about take a great deal of water, and that's not so great in desert regions. Maybe a mobile plant that can relocate to flooding regions? Nice.