Perhaps most exciting, Honda is now powering zero-emission vehicles with hydrogen derived from tap
 water in small stationary units that drivers can keep in their garages.

 Hardware beyond the hype : Perhaps most exciting, Honda is now powering zero-emission vehicles
 with hydrogen derived from tap water in small stationary units that drivers can keep in their garages.

We believe the rapid pace of invention, testing and commercialization of fuel-cell technologies is a
strong sign that we are  entering the early stages of a hydrogen revolution. Instead of waiting half
a century as critics suggest, the large-scale production of hydrogen fuel-cell cars could begin very
soon.

We have come to a crossroads where a single, courageous decision by a few world leaders could
launch a new era of progress.

That decision is, of course, to shift from our dependence on environmentally damaging fossil fuels
to plentiful, renewable and clean-burning hydrogen fuel.

 Not everyone sees the bright future of the hydrogen age.

 Some well-informed energy experts contend hydrogen will be viable only after 20 to 30 years of
 development.

The respected environmental think tank Worldwatch Institute, cautions, "Despite recent public
attention about the potential for a hydrogen economy, it could take decades to develop the
infrastructure and vehicles required for a hydrogen-powered system."

Joseph Romm, author of The Hype About Hydrogen, states that, "Hydrogen vehicles are unlikely
to achieve even a 5 percent market  share by 2030."

These predictions are needlessly pessimistic, based on common misconceptions about the cost,
efficiency and technology of hydrogen.

If we make hydrogen a national and international priority, as outlined below in a strategy for l
aunching the hydrogen economy,  we foresee the first affordable hydrogen fuel-cell cars coming
to market starting between 2010 and 2012, and achieving 5 percent  of the new car market
share by 2020 or sooner.

 Let's examine the critics' misconceptions about hydrogen.

 Myth No. 1:

A hydrogen industry needs to be built from scratch The production of hydrogen is
already a large, mature industry, and the global hydrogen industry annually produces
 50 million metric tons (50 billion kilograms) of hydrogen, worth about $150  billion.

 To put that into perspective, the current global output of pure hydrogen has the energy
 equivalence of 1.2 billion barrels of oil,  or about a quarter of U.S.  petroleum imports.
 The hydrogen industry is growing at 6 percent a year, thus doubling every 12 years.

 All this is happening without the incentives that would be provided by a growing fleet of
 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in need of  fuel. If the hydrogen industry can expand so quickly
 "below the radar," it will have no problem expanding quickly enough to fuel the needs of
 hydrogen fuel-cell cars in the future.

 Myth No. 2:

 Hydrogen is too dangerous for common use This myth begins with the
 hydrogen-filled German zeppelin, the Hindenburg,  which blew up at Lakehurst,
 New Jersey, in 1937.

 Recently that event was revisited in a detailed analysis by National Aeronautics and
 Space Administration (NASA) scientist  Addison Bain. He found that it was not the hydrogen
 that originally combusted, but the dirigible's outer coating, a highly flammable material
 similar to that used in rocket propellants.

 In reality, the hydrogen industry has had an excellent safety record for decades. In 30 years,
 liquefied hydrogen shipments have logged 33 billion miles. During all this time, no product
 losses or fires were reported. Gasoline, our automotive fuel of choice,  is 22 times more

 explosive and has a dismal safety record in comparison. Hydrogen, while flammable, is
 generally more easily managed than hydrocarbon fuels.

 If hydrogen is ignited, it burns with a clear flame and only one-tenth the radiant heat
 of a hydrocarbon fire.

 The heat that is produced tends to dissipate much more rapidly than heat from gasoline or oil fires.

 The bottom line is that hydrogen-safety critics should turn their fire against gasoline, and
 agitate for the rapid adoption of hydrogen on safety grounds alone!

 Myth No. 3:

 Hydrogen can't be distributed via existing pipelines The transportation of hydrogen,
 one of the most frequently mentioned concerns of critics, is easily accomplished through pipelines.
 Creating a new pipeline network to move hydrogen is unnecessary; we can use the one already
 in existence. Some existing pipelines are already hydrogen-ready.

 The others can easily be modified with existing technologies by adding polymer-composite liners,
 similar to the process used to renovate old sewer pipes. Using existing pipelines creates no additional
 safety concerns. Already, hydrogen-refueling stations are appearing in California, Florida and British
 Columbia.

 Other regions are sure to follow.

Myth No. 4:

There is no practical way to run cars on hydrogen Hydrogen fuel cells have been
 used for space flights since 1965 and they were used in a passenger vehicle as
 early as 1966 (GM's Electrovan).

 Today, fuel-cell vehicles are undergoing rigorous testing and are far advanced.

 As of mid-2003, manufacturers had dozens of fuel-cell buses and upwards of 100 fuel-cell cars
 on the road. Fuel cells are being tested for military vehicles on land and sea; submarines have
 used them for years. Heavy trucks, which spend up to half their  engine run time idling because
 they have no auxiliary power source, are also beginning to use fuel cells. FedEx and UPS plan
 to introduce fuel-cell trucks by next year.

 With such a massive wave of research and trial, fuel cells are sure to advance quickly, as each
 successful application  benefits from its predecessors' experiences. As a whole, mass production
 will drive down the price of fuel cells.

 Myth No. 5:

 Hydrogen is too expensive to compete with gasoline Despite decades of U.S. policies favouring
 the use of petroleum, hydrogen technologies are already close to economic viability.

 When we consider system-wide life-cycle costs, hydrogen is already a desirable alternative
 to fossil fuel. 

 The factor of greenhouse gas emissions makes hydrogen overwhelmingly preferable to
 gasoline.

 Even when hydrogen fuel is produced from natural gas, on a per-mile-driven basis, fuel-cell
 cars generate as little as 30 percent of the carbon dioxide produced by gasoline-powered cars.
 Cost is the bottom-line factor for many consumers contemplating the adoption of new technologies.

 Research shows that small hydrogen generators could be manufactured by the hundreds and
 installed at service stations supporting a  few hundred fuel-cell-powered cars using natural gas
 as a raw material at a cost of $6 per million British thermal units (BTUs). 
 
 These would deliver hydrogen to cars at $2.50 per kilogram, since one gallon of gas is the
 energy equivalent of one kilogram of hydrogen.

That is equivalent to $2.50 per gallon gasoline, less than we are paying now.

 Moreover, as current trends continue, we believe the days of $2.50 per gallon gasoline will be
 very fond memories.

 Once these myths are dispelled, we can clearly see the environmental advantages of hydrogen
 power as well as the promising economic benefits.

 "Hydrogen could become a strategic business sector and an engine of global economic growth
 within the decade and for the remainder of the 21st century."

 That's the assessment of Julian Gresser and James Cusumano (one of this article's co-authors)
 in a 2005 report, "Hydrogen and the New Energy Economy," published in The Futurist.

It is well known that at critical times in history, certain industries have made key technological
breakthroughs that have become dynamic engines of broader economic growth. Famous examples
of the convergence of critical technologies and rapid growth include: the canals and railroads of
18th- and 19th-century England and, more recently, the convergence of computer hardware,
software and Internet technology in late-20th-century America.

Due to the tremendous public benefits realized through the success of strategic technologies and
industries, governments have usually played a pivotal role in accelerating these technologies'
development.

California has already taken the national lead in implementing a "Hydrogen Highway Network
 Action Plan" to build 150 to 200 hydrogen-refueling stations, approximately one every 20 miles
 on California's major highways.

Similarly, Florida's state government has launched an innovative program to promote hydrogen
as a strategic growth sector.Working within a broad alliance among private companies, state
and local governments, universities and environmental groups, the Florida Hydrogen Strategy
initially focuses on fuels cells, hydrogen storage and power-grid optimization.

The strategy offers tax refunds, investment tax credits, performance incentives and enterprise-
bond financing.

Internationally, Japan, Germany, Canada and Iceland have major hydrogen programs underway.
Leaders of these nations understand that, in addition to laying the foundation for independence
from oil and creating a key industrial sector, the rapid development of hydrogen will accelerate
innovation in related sectors, such as biotechnology, solar photovoltaics, ultra-light materials and
nano-materials.

Given the urgency of the energy and climate crises, we urge development of a broad political
consensus around a strategy for transitioning to a hydrogen economy. This strategy would apply
regulatory, financial and other market-driven incentives while drawing on the best available
technology and talent. Under the leadership of a non-partisan National Hydrogen Task Force,
political leaders in the U.S. and elsewhere should convene the nation's leading hydrogen scientists,
engineers and inventors, along with top environmental lawyers, finance experts and specialists
in public/private enterprises. Their mission should be the development of a draft "Strategic
Hydrogen Alliance Reform and Enterprise Act" (SHARE) that would create the statutory 
framework for accelerating the development of the hydrogen economy as quickly as possible,
on par with the urgency that accompanies a state of war or a natural disaster. The main stages
of this transition plan for the U.S. are outlined below and include the following milestones:  


Phase I (2007-2010):
Deploy existing technologies and capabilities to expedite fuel-cell research
and development and vigorously market smaller fuel cells to homes and
businesses, while the hydrogen car runs on a modified internal-combustion
engine that is cost-effective today.

Phase II (2010-2015):
Introduce multiple varieties of fuel-cell cars that run on hydrogen generated
from natural gas or electrolyzed from water.

Phase III (2015-2020):
Embrace widespread commercialization of fuel-cell vehicles that operate
on hydrogen generated by renewable energy sources such as solar- and
wind-powered electrolysis. 

 Work would also begin on a national hydrogen infrastructure, including production facilities,
 pipelines and fueling stations built in metropolitan areas. The ultimate goal by 2020 would be
 the broad transition to clean and green hydrogen generated from non-fossil fuels -- wind, solar
 and possibly biological systems -- and minimum sales of a million hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles,
 equal to a 6 percent new-car market penetration. In parallel to these hydrogen milestones, the
 plan would require development of automobile engines that could function on a mix of plug-in
 technologies, renewable fuels such as ethanol or biodiesel and hydrogen fuel cells powered by
 electricity from the utility grid. The path toward the hydrogen future is already being paved by
 private initiatives and government support in the U.S., the European Union and Japan. Like
Gresser and Cusumano point out, "As hydrogen becomes a strategic economic driver for the
United States and the major industrialized nations, it can serve this same function for many
 other countries, rich and poor." The size and risks of some hydrogen projects make it well-
 suited for international collaborations that can be pursued on the same grand scale as the
 Apollo Man-to-the-Moon Project in the U.S., the Marshall Plan in Europe and the
 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Control projects. As new countries enter the hydrogen
 consortium, each one can develop a special expertise and role based on its unique resources
 and skills. The financial foundation of the Hydrogen Plan could be an International Hydrogen
 Innovation Fund, initially capitalized with $5 billion provided by national and international
 entities.

 The fund would be managed by an international team of successful technology, business and
 social entrepreneurs, with the goal of achieving superior rates of return for shareholders within
 five years for funding early-,middle- and late-stage projects. The hydrogen economy is the only
 reliable long-term solution to the energy and climate crises confronting civilization.

 No other known technology option can safely produce clean energy to power transportation
 systems and other infrastructure at levels that can sustain current levels of global prosperity,
 let alone increase these levels to improve the lot of the world's poor. This great transition will
 be profitable and beneficial for all stakeholders. The hydrogen revolution is one of the greatest
 legacies our generation could pass on to our children and children's children.

 Horace Mann, a pioneering 19th-century advocate of free public education in the U.S., said,
 "Be ashamed to die until you've won some great victory for humanity." All who join in this grand
 enterprise to bring about the birth of the hydrogen age will participate in one of humanity's
 greatest victories: the creation of a safe, clean and sustainable future. This article is adapted from
 Freedom from Mid-East Oil, written by Jerry Brown (a founding professor at Florida International
 University), Rinaldo Brutoco (founder and president of the World Business Academy) and James
 Cusumano (former director of research and development at Exxon).

 Find out more: http://www.worldbusiness.org/freedom-from-mid-east-oil 
 

       © 2008 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
       View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/67954/

Nanotechnology's most recent contribution to the hydrogen storage problem was described in a May 4, 2005
posting [2] where researchers proposed a method for storing hydrogen which they claimed was one-third
more efficiently than the 6%-by-weight break-even storage density established by the energy industry [24].
The authors do not understand the break-even requirement, which is the 2010 target for the ratio of hydrogen
mass to the entire fuel delivery system mass, not just the weight of the storage matrix. Just remember -
externalities must be understood but are almost always swept under the rug of hype.

The proposed method is based on detailed first-principles calculations of hydrogen molecule bonding to
single-walled carbon nanotubes that have been "decorated" with titanium atoms as shown in the righthand
figure. Calculations showed that as many as 4 hydrogen molecules (8 atoms - hydrogen is diatomic) will
bond with the titanium atom/carbon complex, meaning these nanotubes can hold 8% their weight in
hydrogen gas. The hydrogen is further calculated to release (desorb) easily as diatomic molecular hydrogen
when the structure is heated to about 500C. This property makes carbon nanotubes peppered with titanium
potentially viable as hydrogen storage matrices.

Topic Sitemap Assignments References