Thus spake "blitz" <blitz@macronet.net>
Fuel cells, run on natural gas are the best idea I've heard to date, and the safest if you're confined to upper floors, but youre talking BIG $$$ here...whats wrong with batteries, a natural gas genny and a converter system, telco style? If this is all about diesel storage, why not put the tanks/gennys in the basement or lower more secure floors? (Im assuming burial is out of the question in NYC) That way a small day tank would suffice at the upper floors.
A fuel cell is just a generator: H2 goes in one side, electricity and H2O come out the other side -- the trick is doing this without internal combustion. You'll either need pressurized H2 storage tanks or a fuel reformer to extract H2 from your methane/propane/whatever utility; that's a bit more complicated than storing diesel or feeding utility gas straight into a normal generator. Otherwise, a fuel cell has the exact same design parameters as a diesel generator for a high-rise application: store the fuel wherever code allows, feed it into a generator, and carry the power up to your battery plant. S