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LPG generator or stored hydrogen for backup power

LPG avoids many of petrol's headaches. Gas bottles store well and the engine runs cleaner. It is still an engine burning fuel you have to buy and have delivered.

Why people choose LPG

Many rural homes already have LPG bottles for hot water or cooking, so an LPG generator fits an existing supply. Bottled gas does not go stale the way petrol does, and engines running on gas tend to stay cleaner inside. Standby LPG generators can start automatically. They are a proven, available option, and for some households that matters more than anything else on this page.

What it would keep running

  • Essentials while gas deliveries are delayed
  • Freezer and fridge
  • Modem and alarm with no blink
  • Pressure pump
  • Bedroom heat pump

The limits of LPG

Bottles have to be swapped or refilled by a delivery truck, and in a regional emergency deliveries slow down just as everyone wants gas at once. If your hot water and cooking also run on the same bottles, the generator competes with them. It is still a combustion engine, which means exhaust, carbon monoxide risk if poorly sited, noise, servicing and periodic test runs.

Automatic standby sets also take a short time to detect the outage and start, so sensitive loads like modems, computers and alarm panels see a blink and reboot unless a separate battery covers the gap. That brief gap is exactly what a UPS-style battery and inverter are there to remove.

How it works →
The H2OME loop: an electrolyser splits water into hydrogen, the hydrogen is stored in a tank for weeks, a fuel cell turns it into electricity for your home, and the water returns to the loop.

How hydrogen differs

A stored hydrogen system makes its own fuel from water and electricity, so it does not rely on deliveries at all. Its fuel cell has no engine and its by-product is water, which goes back into the loop. The battery and inverter give instant switch-over in UPS mode. The honest downsides are that it is in development, has no price yet, and has round-trip efficiency of 30% or less.

Questions

Can I keep LPG for cooking and use hydrogen for power?

Yes, and that is a sensible split. Cooking on an LPG hob takes a large load off stored electricity during an outage, which makes hydrogen storage stretch much further. Keep the two systems separate and installed by qualified people.

Is LPG or hydrogen safer?

Both are flammable gases that need proper installation. LPG is heavier than air and can pool in low spots. Hydrogen is much lighter than air and rises and disperses quickly. The system is designed with redundant leak sensors, automatic shutdown and venting.

Does an LPG generator produce carbon dioxide?

Yes. Burning LPG produces carbon dioxide and some other combustion products. A hydrogen fuel cell produces water at the point of use. The wider footprint of hydrogen depends on the electricity used to make it.

More in outages, weather and how it works

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