So I an in the process of updating my
electrical system if I can ever get the yard to engage on the
project. A rough costing of that system which includes 800Ah LFP
batteries, bms, new
alternator,
wind gen, and extras, is about 35000 euro with labour.
The system criteria are 4 week autonomy assuming 1kWh/day
consumption though often the sailing is between plug-in opportunities, two distinct
charging systems for off the grid, low
maintenance, suitable for Northern
Europe and without spoiling the lines of the
boat.
I’m happy with the plan but with the yard not cooperating I started thinking about alternatives that would be easier and cheaper for me to do myself and I stumbled across a new EFOY
fuel cell: the pro 2800 and it seems to change the math a bit on my reasoning for not going the
fuel cell route.
The relevant information is:
Capital cost of cell and extras 7500euro
Capital cost of 210Ah of EFOY LFP
batteries 3500euro
Extras 5000euro
Output. 125W=3kWh/day
Output after 6000h 87W=2kWh/day
Consumption. 0.9l/kWh=8euro/kWh
What has changed from earlier models is the output and the lifespan. For my purposes this new unit looks like it will last 10000h and in each of those hours it produces 170% of the energy of the EFOY 150. That 150 unit ouputs 75W new but only 43W after 3000h.
From my system specs that means it’s done after it delivers roughly 3000*60= 180kWh of energy to my
boat as it doesn’t produce enough after 3000 hr to be useful.
Compare that with the new unit that will deliver roughly 10000*85=850kWh and one sees that the lifespan of the 2800 pro unit in my application is nearly 5 times that of the 150 and if only costs about 2000 euro more. So the amortized cost of the old unit was 5000/180=28euro per kWh whereas for the new unit it is 7000/850=8euro per KWh.
That makes the total cost of energy from the new system 16euro per kWh compared to 36euro per kWh. That’s an effective 56% reduction in the
price of energy from EFOY
fuel cells. Now consider that the capital cost of
installation is also less that half what the alternative is and I’m wondering whether to switch tactics here.
For instance, the
wind gen I’m considering produces energy over its life at a cost of about 1euro per kWh assuming all its energy is used and 2euro per KWh assuming half is dumped, while the
engine does so at about 20 euro per kWh only counting the cost of
fuel and more like 30 euro per kWh if you include all the extra wear running the
engine purely for
charging. 16euro per kWh all in looks pretty good for a system that is cheaper to install and will last me decades (remember mostly cruising between plugs)
So has the fuel cell finally arrived for cruising?