heinsberger volksbank advertising, page-13

IndiJo said "Check the degradation numbers from Soft Pact...they are a little better these days"

Thanks, but why didn't you just post them or a link to them in your reply? I have just searched Google and I can't see any Soft Pact data on degradation rate.

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AugustusGloop76 said "The numbers are quoted from the Heinsberg Fuel Cell Initiative website. What is your agenda fuelcell, besides undermining confidence in CFU? Are you invested heavily in, or working for a competitor?"

Ah right, now I have had another look I can see them! Not that it matters because they have not allowed ANYTHING for the stack degrading whilst running at maximum output 24/7/365 for 10 whole years. I work in the finance industry and I don't hold any stock in any competitor of CFU, happy now?

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Get lost bear said "no where do you account for the constantly rising cost of electricity. I agree there will be some stack degradation, cost of gas will increase but you need to balance out both sides of the ledger. As far as I can recall you have never offered an opinion on why the market has not yet widely embraced this technology. I don't believe it is just price, that's too simplistic. What are your thoughts?"

Do you know what 'spark spread' is? I suggest you look it up, because it dictates the electricity price against the fuel, so when gas goes up so does electric, they are very closely linked and will be more so in Germany as it is getting rid of cheap nuclear power, electricity from gas will determine the spark spread there. Why sould I allow for electricity prices going up without gas going up too? It just isn't going to happen.

Get the latest degradation figures from Soft Pact and work out how the output of the BG will fall over the 10 years, then you will work out that the BG will not pay back in 10 years and it will be so low on power that it will need replacing by then. It is such simple math that pretty much anyone can work it out. Please tell me why (anyone please tell me!) CFU do not allow for degradation reducing the payback over the 10 years when they KNOW the output will fall over that 10 years????

On the question of why the market has not widely embraced mCHP technology, it is embracing it, in the form of Stirling engines that cost much the same as a standard boiler and offer space heating as well. Compare that to a fuel cell system that costs 5-6 times the price and does not offer space heating, which means the buyer also needs a boiler. That is why the market has not widely embraced FUEL CELL mCHP technology and wont until the prices drop significantly. A BG is a luxury item they are trying to sell in a recession, not likley to sell in big numbers really. If it were an 80's style boom time then I guess a lot more people would have the spare cash to splash out on a BG. Maybe by 2016 that time will arrive, but what will keep CFU and it's €20m a year cash burn going for the next 3 years?


Going bcak to my degradation figures which use CFU's own published figures (pending someone posting a link to newer figures) of 0.5% degradation every 1000 hours, I have another bit of info to remind you of, again published by CFU themselves.

"Achievement of 1%/1000 hour degradation (~ 3 year useful stack life)"

That is on slide 11 of this:
http://www.cfcl.com.au/Assets/Files/20120712_CFU-shareholder_update_presentation.pdf

So 1% degradation every 1000 hours means the stack will only last ~3 years!!

Thus the newer data I have used of 0.5% degradation every 1000 hours means the stak will only last ~6 years!!

Thus I prove again from another angle that the BG will never pay back in 10 years and will need replacing (or at least the stack whcih is the costly bit) before then!!