Are we starting to see a Moore's law at work in power?

Business Week:  >>>Good news is ahead, however: Unlike the relatively mature internal combustion technologies, fuel cells are improving in efficiency by about 30% a year, according to McNeil. "It's moving so fast," says Joseph Cargnelli, the vice-president for technology at Toronto fuel-cell concern Hydrogenics. "that a fuel-cell engine that we developed a year ago is outdated today due to new materials, more power density, and more robust construction."<<<  Note that fuels cells represent a jump in substrate for personal power generation.  As a result, the price performance improvements may accumulate quickly.  Right now, it is on a 2.5 year doubling rate.  Further, by decentralizing power production (fuel cells that run in the basement for $2 k a pop), transmission loss is eliminated. [John Robb's Radio Weblog]

I particularly like the rack mount generator from Hpower. 500W maximimum output, and it'll fit in a standard 19" server rack. Put a couple of these in your basement, coupled with your home servers, and you'll never have to stop surfing when the power goes out.

Alternately, if you have greater needs, and don't like the thought of hydrogen in your home, you can go with this unit. 3 to 10 kW and it runs of propane.

Having reliable power is a key part of helping business and industry thrive in rural and developing areas/nations. If you have the infrastructure where you can get propane delivered, this makes local power generation a possibility. Also, harsh winters where the power lines can break due to ice formation are no longer as issue, as again, you can locally generate your electricity (and heat) with these modules.  

5:16:50 AM