# Fuel Cells Just Got A Bit Cheaper

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuel-cells-just-got-a-bit-cheaper/252927>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 30, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuel-cells-just-got-a-bit-cheaper/252927 "2004-06-30T19:27:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuel-cells-just-got-a-bit-cheaper/252927/1 "2004-06-30T19:27:04Z")

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[Plus they produce more “juice.”](http://www.psu.edu/ur/2004/cheaperMFC.html)

> [@](#):
>
> Penn State environmental engineers have removed and replaced one of the most expensive parts of their prototype microbial fuel cell and the device now costs two-thirds less and produces nearly six times more electricity from domestic wastewater.
> 
> Earlier this year, the Penn State team was the first to develop a microbial fuel cell (MFC) that can generate electricity while simultaneously cleaning domestic wastewater skimmed from the settling pond of a sewage treatment plant. Now, they’ve shown that by modifying their original MFC to make it cheaper, they can also boost electricity production from about 26 milliwatts per square meter to about 146 milliwatts per square meter.
> 
> Dr. Bruce Logan, the Kappe professor of environmental engineering, directs the project. He says, “The new design has moved the technology closer to our goal of 1000 milliwatts per square meter.”

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**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuel-cells-just-got-a-bit-cheaper/252927/2 "2004-06-30T21:19:57Z")

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How big is your average sewage treatment plant settling pond. Even at their goal, a watt per square meter, they’re not going to be generating a whole lot of juice.

That said, anything is better than nothing. Where they are now is starting to look competitive with photoelectric panels on a power per unit area basis.