Hydrogen Fuel Making a Big Push
In my, admittedly, informal survey of alternative energy articles over the past year, it seems that hydrogen fuel is lagging behind some of the other potential non-fossil fuel sources in press coverage. The National Hydrogen Association seeks to start changing the dialog with the release today of its report: “The Energy Evolution: An analysis of alternative vehicles and fuels to 2100.” The report provides an analysis of existing information from peer-reviewed, credible transportation research from organizations such as the U.S. Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, the Electric Power Research Institute, the National Resources Defense Council and the University of California, Davis.
Among the key conclusions are that:
1. Hydrogen fuel cells are the only way to ensure: a cut of greenhouse gas pollution by 80% below 1990 levels; that the U.S. reaches petroleum quasi-independence by mid-century; that we are able to eliminate nearly all controllable air pollution by the end of the century; and we are able to reduce societal costs by $600 billion per year by 2100. (This scenario includes an important role for a mix of vehicle and fuel alternatives in the near-term.)
2. The cost of creating the infrastructure needed to facilitate hydrogen fueling is not as expensive as people think.
3. Investment in hydrogen technology that will bring hydrogen vehicles to the road must be accelerated.
May 4th, 2009 at 12:07 am
When I was considering a Master’s thesis topic in 2004, one that came to mind was “hydrogen-fueled economy.” I discussed with my advisor, also my grad school prof of International Environmental Politics and Sustainable Development course. Our discussion then led me to the conclusion that the topic would not be so easy to develop. We talked about Iceland which is surrounded by water, the ideal for a hydrogen-based economy. Not too many (major) countries have the luxury of that kind of geography for the population they need to generate energy for…
Here is a link to a Sept 2007 article on CNN about Iceland, which has been decreasing its fossil fuel use for 50 yrs already:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/18/driving.iceland/index.html
June 15th, 2009 at 2:27 am
Great post! I’ll subscribe right now wth my feedreader software!