In addition to the cost benefits that the E-Cat can bring, another tremendously important aspect of this technology is that is highly suited to allowing for distributed power production. The benefits of this are starkly apparent when we look at the aftermath of natural disasters like we are seeing in the post-Sandy chaos in the northeastern United States.
Four days after the storm there are still 3.3 million customers without electricity, and it could be weeks before power is fully restored. Centralized production of electricity requires that power be transmitted over long distances, and restoring power following a widespread storm of great power can take a great deal of time as transmission lines have to be reconnected. This is especially time consuming and labor intensive in large countries like the US where the grid spans thousands of miles, and much of the electricity transmission is via overhead wires rather than buried cable.
With a technology like the E-Cat there is a real possibility that the model of electricity production could change. There is the possibility of heat and power production at home. In a post-disaster scenario, this would be ideal. If your power plant was in your basement or outside your house, unless it was physically damaged your power would be available during and after a natural disaster. And even if home-based electricity generation is not possible or permitted, it would still be very feasible to have local power production — perhaps a plant for every small town, or even one for each housing subdivision or apartment building. Such an arrangement would mean that power losses would be much more isolated than they are now, especially if you could eliminate the need for overhead power lines which are the most susceptible to damage in high winds or heavy icing.
If we finally get to a point where there is a realization that the E-Cat is a real and viable source of power, its benefits will be obvious, and I am sure that when consumers, businesses and governments look at the possibilities it allows, distributed power generation will be one of its most attractive features. People who have lived through events like hurricane Sandy will likely be strong advocates of implementing a better way to produce and distribute power.
