Simple logic argues that such failure may also demonstrate the difficulty inherent in initiating the effect. Thirty studies are listed in Table 3, many of which produced excess energy using several independent sources of palladium. Only work reporting a quantitative measurement of heat production is listed along with the stated or estimated uncertainty. The highest reported values for power and energy production are listed and are compared assuming the effect is related to cathode surface area. Reported total excess energy is determined partly by how long the cell was allowed to operate and partly by how long the effect lasted.
Some effects last only hours while others go on for weeks before they are terminated.
There is no reason to believe that the highest possible power and energy levels have yet been achieved. An answer to this question rests on how well the various potential errors have been addressed. This subject will be discussed in later sections. The intention here is to show that many attempts have reported significant excess energy using a variety of calorimetric methods. A calorimetric must demonstrate a null result when no energy production is expected and give an accurate value when energy is detected.