I tried a search on these forums but came up empty, so I'll throw my question out there. Is anyone here familiar with fuel cell technology? In August of 2013 Redox Power seems to have launched a PR campaign claiming they would have an affordable residential fuel cell available in 2014. But ALL the articles were in August 2013 and I see nothing since then. At the moment I am off grid and frugal with energy, relying almost exclusively on solar - which works well if I am not a hog. But I am thinking I might like to be a hog in future and the solar won't be enough. Anyone know about fuel cells? Thanks for any guidance.

Most fuel cell products out there are designed to run off methane / natural gas.

The future cost of different battery techologies are likely to be lower than today. Most off-grid PV systems today are using lead-acid, which has a lifecycle per kwh cost on the order of 40-50cents, but some of the lithium ion suitable for off grid PV is looking like it'll be about half- that (even at today's prices), depending on how long they actually last (still a fuzzy number, but way better than it was just a decade ago.)

The panel cost of PV has dropped by nearly an order of magnitude in the past decade, and is widely expected to be under 50 cents/watt before 2020. Inverter/charger costs are are also declining, but at a much slower rate. Grid tied solar is likely to become the cheapest grid-power of any type on a lifecycle basis before 2025, but local storage will be the most significant cost of off-grid systems for the next several decades, barring some real breakthrough low-cost battery technology that scales low enough. (Stay tuned- there is a LOT of stuff going on in the power storage space at the grid scale, some of which is scalable, others not so much.)

So...you seem to imply you believe I would be better off adding to my solar and using improved battery storage. Indeed that would be my preference. But I don't (or didn't) see improved battery storage on the horizon. Could you please point me toward some web sites or articles that would give me an idea of what's up in that area? I'd be grateful for any links. And also any info about fuel cells if anyone knows , especially the Redux folks. Many thanks for your reply. I appreciate the input.

I've been waiting for "that" fuel cell since before 2002. Tried to purchase one/put downpayment on one numerous times, to no avail. Fuel cells are beautiful where you have a source of natural gas and a use for the substantial "waste" heat. Examples might be where you used the heat for a year-round pool or a large shop of some kind.

Of course, you could always use PV to crack water for the hydrogen, run hydrogen through the fuel cell and capture the electricity, but I hope it's obvious how inefficient it would be.