Bioelectric farming

[joene23]

I understand this question was asked before and it seems stupid but I'm wondering if done another way if it would at all be possible because i don't quite understand the physics of electricity. I understand that a single electric eel can generate something like 500 volts at 1 ampere and farming said animals in anyway to generate would just not be practical. However say a project were started to genetically modify the species to slightly increase the efficiency of the electrocytes slightly and then you did away with the animal itself and essentially just farmed the electricity generating cells in a bio-reactor where they were simply kept in constant contact with the nutrients they require and stimulated in sequence with acetylcohlite (sp) to keep a constant current. Would this be in any pay practical? Or are the cells simply not powerful enough to make the energy produced to the space used practical?

[EdEarl]

500 V @ 1 A = 500 W, which is about 1 horsepower. How long can an eel generate that power?

 

If an eel is about the same efficiency as a horse, pound per pound, then it is not particularly good at generating electricity compared to a gas turbine, windmill, or nuclear power station. Some automobile engines generate 500 horsepower in a smaller package than a horse. Gas turbines are more efficient and produce more per size than gasoline engines.

 

If the eel is more efficient than a gas turbine, then it might have a niche in power production. I do not know how much energy input is required for that 500 watts output, but I suspect the eel is not very efficient.

Edited August 8, 2013 by EdEarl