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Taking Trains Off The Electricity Grid - Fuel Cells Coming Into The Station
from the fuel-cells-for-everyone... dept
Here's another company that's trying to drum up some publicity for their own solutions in the wake of the big blackout of 2003. This one is trying to convert trains and subways from running on the electric grid to being powered by fuel cells. Makes more sense to me than powering laptops with fuel cells - but it may depend on how good the technology really is and how much retrofitting existing systems will cost.
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fuel cell retrofit?
Why not set up backup electrical generators powered by fuel cells? Doesn't seem to make sense to retrofit all the trains.
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Re: fuel cell retrofit?
exactly - use the new shiny thing for the backup, but don't unnecessarily change what is in place now and works most of the time.
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Re: fuel cell retrofit?
Putting fuel cells on trains will add weight and comlpexity where there was none, to solve a problem that probably occurs once in, what, two, three decades? There's hardly a reason to drag them all over town on each train just in case the lights might go out somewhere.
Putting in generators to power the trains on the off chance the lights go out is probably doable, but I think the technology for generators has been around for a few decades. I'm not sure what fuel cells would be solving there.
Given that the worst thing that happens when the power does go out is people might get hot, cold or lonely for an hour or two before they're escorted down the tracks, there just might be a better way for New York City to spend their money.
As for the "Denver subway officials" the article refers to, somoeone might want to mention to them that Denver has no subway.
Oh, and I do know the London Tube lost power today, but that doesn't help my argument, so I won't mention it.
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