Here’s an opportunity for the ECW crowd to maybe help Andrea Rossi out a little bit.
I have been thinking about the natural gas powered E-Cat which Rossi has said they are pursuing because of its cost efficiency (natural gas being much cheaper than electricity at the moment), and started thinking about the possibility of battery-driven E-Cats, where the electricity is generated from a ‘free’ fuel source like wind or solar. So I posted this question on the Journal of Nuclear Physics:
There is a lot of effort being expended these days into producing better batteries, and other energy storage devices that can be charged by ‘free’ fuels like solar and wind.
For example, Tesla Motors’ gigafactory (currently under construction) which will manufacture batteries for electric cars is planned to be powered solely by a combination of solar, wind and geothermal.
What are your thoughts on the possibility having battery driven E-Cats?
Rossi’s response:
Frank Acland:
It is an interesting idea: under a theoretical and technological point of view, I do not see why not. The issue is in the price: if the electric energy supplied by batteries will be competitive with other sources, the coupling between high efficiency batteries and the E-Cats will be surely possible. Have you an idea of the cost per kWh supplied by this new generation of batteries? I am curious.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
I don’t have a good answer to Rossi’s question, so I figured I would throw it open to readers here. I really think that with competitive battery technology, there could be a strong boost to the E-Cat. It seems the electric drive is a more well developed technology at this point, and potentially a useful solution, especially if battery or other energy storage technology is cost effective.
What’s a good answer to Rossi’s question?