General Motors (GM, Detroit, MI) unveiled a stationary generator based on the company's fuel processing and stack technology for automotive applications. The 5kW stack unit, which can generate clean, quiet and efficient power, could be a backup generator for subdivisions at risk of losing power because of common blackouts, or could even replace standard sources for electricity in individual homes. The stationary unit runs on natural gas, methane or gasoline.
"We think the most likely application will be in businesses, office complexes, hospitals and new subdivisions," said Larry Burns, GM's vice president for research and development, and planning. "But it could easily be sized to power the average single-family home. With a fuel cell, there wouldn't be power failures or, at the very least, the likelihood should be greatly reduced."
