Rolls Royce going commercial with fuel cell?
Published Tuesday, 5th February 2008
If you’re the kind of person that likes the very finest things in life, maybe you enjoy sniff caviar from a spoon made of diamonds and unicorn’s horn, then you might fancy treating yourself to the Rolls Royce of fuel cells. Literally.
For the company, better known for its Spirit of Ecstasy and transporting the Thunderbirds around, is thinking about taking its fuel cell business commercial, says the The Independent.
Field tests of the solid-oxide fuel cell are due to start at Holywell Park, the business estate where Rolls-Royce Energy produces the ceramic components used in the cells.[…]
If testing goes according to plan, Rolls-Royce believes the generators will be ready for commercial sale in 2010. Its scientists believe the fuel cell is one of the lowest-cost and most efficient of all the latest technologies and is being designed for stationary power generation for hospitals, universities and small factories. But the generators can be adap-ted for bigger-scale transport, military and marine applications.
And like the cars themselves, it’s all reassuringly expensive – analysts reckon the technology is worth £200 million.
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Hate to be picky, but it’s not Rolls-Royce Motors who are making fuel cells, it’s Rolls-Royce plc, makers of gas turbine engines (amongst other things) – you may have seen their badge on the engine of your Boeing/Airbus as you upped your carbon footprint last holiday. They haven’t had anything to do with cars for thirty-five years. Interestingly, I don’t believe fuel cells have been talked about in the context of aviation transport at all at RR – too heavy for the power developed, I guess – but they could be a good prospect for ships, trains and oil/gas pumping (RR’s other major areas).