I figured the waste heat would be enough but I need to do a thermodynamic analysis. However, this may be a case where home electrolysis may work. Recharging the hydride is not time critical.
I don't know that much about using hydride for H2 storage; just a few articles I've read.
Based on the limited amount I've read, it does seem that home generation of H2 might be more practical if you're using hydride storage. If my understanding is correct, that allows use of fairly low pressure, which would eliminate the need for expensive high-pressure pumps, as well as significantly reducing the lost energy from compression and loss during storage.
Good point about recharging the hydride not being time-critical for use in a space heater. As I understand it, the slow absorption rate is what makes hydride storage a non-starter for FCEVs.
Using kerosene (or gasoline) heaters for home heating also represents a serious safety hazard, again due to carbon monoxide emissions. So I'd be interested to see any thermodynamic analysis you'd care to perform.
What I don't understand is why you'd want to use a fuel cell for the purpose. Is the idea to use H2 to generate electricity in a fuel cell, and use that electricity to power an electric heater? If so, that would be massively less energy-efficient than using electricity directly from the wall for the purpose.
It might make sense to use that inside a car, where you can't just plug into the wall. But there, I wonder how much room such a unit would occupy, and how much it would weigh. A gasoline or kerosene cabin heater inside a car might represent a significant safety hazard, but at least it doesn't occupy that much space, and such heaters -- and their fuel -- are relatively inexpensive.
Just now I exercised my Google-fu in looking for a modern replacement for the kerosene/gasoline space heater, but I didn't find anything that looks promising. I do see that modern units can (and should) have detectors for low oxygen level, but that's a completely separate issue from carbon monoxide (CO) buildup. There can be enough CO in the air to kill you even when there is plenty of oxygen present.
