How about a Bloom Box power-cell for main boat power source?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10457646-64.html

All sounds a little too good to be true. "Cheaper than grid?"

Multi-fuel?

REVERSIBLE????

However, if it did half of what they claim and could just convert gasoline or diesel to electricity cleanly and SAFELY(and I mean off-shore safe)......


OK, so what is the catch and why aren't they putting ICEs out of biz and why aren't these in cars?

Even if they can't produce power On-Demand as good as an ICE, so wouldn't be good for cars in traffic, might still be good for some boats for lots of reasons.

 

These are the real deal. Our gov is trialing solid oxide fuel cells in a few domestic houses to see feasibility. The owners are putting power back into the grid and the natural gas use is much less than what it would cost in electricity. The units are hideously expensive right now, which is why you wont see them in the applications you listed. But as price comes down they might cost no more than an internal combustion engine. They use gas (as is in solid, liquid, GAS, not gasoline damn yanks ) some of which is renewable but most is still fossil fuel. I think they can also break heavier liquid fuels into gasses prior to use.

In any case it seems much more efficient than a internal combustion engine and this tech is a step in the right direction IMO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_oxide_fuel_cell

This is an Aussie company using the technology with a lot of good info on the site.

http://www.cfcl.com.au/