Household Fuel Cells Ready to Hit Japanese Market

The Ene Farm fuel cell (image: climaticoanalysis.org)

A new fuel cell for household use, created through a joint venture by Japanese oil and and natural gas companies, will be ready for the consumer market in May.  The fuel cell, called “Ene Farm,” generates electricity by mixing hydrogen and oxygen, and redirects heat emitted during the process to heat the air and/or water in the home.  The supremely efficient fuel cells drastically reduce the household use of natural gas or oil and electricity and also cut down on carbon emissions connected with home energy consumption.  Savings on gas and electricity as a result of fuel cell use are estimated to be ¥50,000-¥60,000 (US$509-US$611) per year.  The cells are estimated to reduce carbon emissions by 30 to 40 percent.

The downside of the remarkable Ene Farm technology is its cost.  Home installation is currently set at a prohibitively expensive ¥3 million (US$30,569).  Even with a planned government subsidy that would pay for nearly half of the fuel cells, it would take the average household more than 20 years to recover the cost of one cell through savings on energy bills.  Researchers are currently working to reduce the cost of the fuel cell.

Unlike biofuels and other technologies that find new fuels to create energy, fuel cells use conventional fossil fuels with maximum efficiency to drastically reduce fuel demand in a process that generates heat and electricity for a home.

Although obstacles to widespread utilization of the cells in Japan still remain and comparable technology has not yet appeared in the US, the Ene Farm is still an impressive breakthrough and that will no doubt help move our global society closer to green living and maximum energy efficiency.