>> ... A fuel cell isn't going to be the answer to everything until it 
>> is able to happily munch on about any available bio product or 
>> anything else that can be oxidised and use air as the other input. 
>> Plants and animals suggest that it may even be possible :-)

> Why would you expect a fuel cell to be able to burn anything when no 
> furnace or engine can ? And burning stuff in a smoky open heart and 
> high efficiency combustion are two different things.

It's not that I EXPECT it to happen any time soon, it's just, as I 
said,  that it isn't the universal answer until it can. At the present 
rate of progress I'd expect to see something that works OK any time in 
the next 100 to 200 years :-)

And fwiw, most things biological can be burnt surprisingly well with 
appropriate fluidised bed technology. And most things biological act 
quite well as energy feedstock using eg a duck or a goat. We just 
haven't caught up with the state of the art yet :-)


        RM

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