This chapter was really interesting because it made me think about hydrogen as a possible answer to the quest of finding a sustainable fuel. It's so cool that the process of combining hydrogen with oxygen is what can power cars, and that the only byproduct of this reaction is water. That begs the question though, is the water clean after going through a car? When the article started talking about how "The energy you can extract from hydrogen is less than the energy you put into making it" I wondered how hydrogen could ever be useful. Also, is it really smart to be using water, a resource so important to the existence of life, as fuel?
Iceland is already in the process of making this dream a reality. They have the advantage because converting their smaller country is much easier than converting a much, much bigger country like the U.S. t0 hydro power. The chapter said that this conversion in Iceland could be complete in 2040. That's only 30 years from now when this country could be completely free from carbon dioxide emissions. While the U.S isn't even close to finding a overall solution to the sustainable fuel problem. There are many other problems with hydrogen which can apparently be fixed, however, great precaution needs to be used because of how explosive compressed hydrogen is. Perhaps these problems lead back to the idea of having many different fuels. Maybe a combination of fuels needs to be used to satisfy the huge demand for fuel and electricity.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Background Article 2: Hydrogen Economy
"For 50 years Iceland has been using its plentiful hydro and geothermal electricity to heat buildings and extract hydrogen from water using an electrolytic process. It is beginning to use offshore wind turbines..."
"Hydrogen can be combined with oxygen again to become water again and, in the process, drive a fuel cell motor."
"...program in Iceland may not be complete until at least 2040."
"Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe..."
"The energy you can extract from hydrogen is less than the energy you put into making it..."
"...using gas or oil to make it is more damaging than using these fuels themselves."
"Only solar, wind or water flow technologies that produce renewable electricity can avoid greenhouse gas emissions."
"Hydrogen reacts with metals making containers brittle, it evaporates even from within a container, it seeps, it has low energy content against volume so it has to be stored under pressure, endangering explosion; or it can be liquefied, but this needs constant refrigeration."
"To meet our present energy needs with compressed hydrogen or cars and liquefied hydrogen for airplanes would require three times the electricity we generate..."
"Hydrogen can be combined with oxygen again to become water again and, in the process, drive a fuel cell motor."
"...program in Iceland may not be complete until at least 2040."
"Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe..."
"The energy you can extract from hydrogen is less than the energy you put into making it..."
"...using gas or oil to make it is more damaging than using these fuels themselves."
"Only solar, wind or water flow technologies that produce renewable electricity can avoid greenhouse gas emissions."
"Hydrogen reacts with metals making containers brittle, it evaporates even from within a container, it seeps, it has low energy content against volume so it has to be stored under pressure, endangering explosion; or it can be liquefied, but this needs constant refrigeration."
"To meet our present energy needs with compressed hydrogen or cars and liquefied hydrogen for airplanes would require three times the electricity we generate..."
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