We’ve got plenty of energy in America. What we don’t have are statesmen willing to let the free market here capture it, process it and sell it.
Instead of wisely utilizing our abundant energy, America has been strangled by various federal government bureaucracies, untold reams of burdensome government regulations and counterproductive policies, corrupt environmental special interest groups, and professional politicians who will bend whichever way the prevailing political winds blow.
These are the reasons America hasn’t built a new oil refinery or new nuclear reactor in thirty or so years. Instead, as billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens accurately stated the other day, we are transferring hundreds of billions of our national treasury to other nations. Even to our enemies. Truly bizarre.
Call me crazy, but I thought the goal of America was to be independent. It’s time to call a spade a spade. We are energy slaves to lesser countries. They own us. And unless we resurrect that unstoppable, mighty spirit of rugged independent individualism of our forefathers and throw off the energy shackles, these nations can permanently cripple, if not kill, our economy. The situation is that grave.
I’m not concerned whatsoever that America doesn’t have vast reserves of ingenuity, entrepreneurship, and intellectual capital that could make us energy independent. My concern is that we have become so reliant and dependent on Fedzilla (aka the US government) to solve all of our problems that we will once again rely on the bureaucratic blob in DC to solve this problem, too. That could be a career ending injury. more
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY – Hydrogen
The Truth About Hydrogen
Wild promises abound, but can the simplest element in the universe really power our homes, fuel our cars and reduce our contribution to global warming? PM crunches the numbers on the real hydrogen economy.
By Jeff Wise
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A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device. It produces electricity from various external quantities of fuel (on the anode side) and oxidant (on the cathode side). These react in the presence of an electrolyte. Generally, the reactants flow in and reaction products flow out while the electrolyte remains in the cell. Fuel cells can operate virtually continuously as long as the necessary flows are maintained.
Fuel cells are different from batteries in that they consume reactant, which must be replenished, while batteries store electrical energy chemically in a closed system. Additionally, while the electrodes within a battery react and change as a battery is charged or discharged, a fuel cell’s electrodes are catalytic and relatively stable.Many combinations of fuel and oxidant are possible. A hydrogen cell uses hydrogen as fuel and oxygen as oxidant. Other fuels include hydrocarbons and alcohols.
More than 2500 fuel cell systems have been installed all over the world � in hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, office buildings, schools, utility power plants – either connected to the electric grid to provide supplemental power and backup assurance for critical areas, or installed as a grid-independent generator for on-site service in areas that are inaccessible by power lines. Fuel cell power generation systems in operation today achieve 40 percent fuel-to-electricity efficiency utilizing hydrocarbon fuels. Since fuel cells operate silently, they reduce noise pollution as well as air pollution and when the fuel cell is sited near the point of use, its waste heat can be captured for beneficial purposes (cogeneration). In large-scale building systems, these fuel cell cogeneration systems can reduce facility energy service costs by 20% to 40% over conventional energy service and increase efficiency to 85 percent.
Is it possible for hydrogen to compete with oil in a global market?
Hydrogen fuel can be implemented as a renewable energy medium with immense potential. When utilized properly, it has the potential to entirely replace fossil fuels altogether. Transforming our largely oil based economy, to a new hydrogen economy, which will provide sustainability throughout the 21st century, and beyond, for as long as the sun continues to shine.
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Hydrogen is the simplest element known to man. Each atom of hydrogen has only one proton. It is also the most plentiful gas in the universe. Stars are made primarily of hydrogen.
The sun is basically a giant ball of hydrogen and helium gases. In the sun’s core, hydrogen atoms combine to form helium atoms. This process�called fusion�gives off radiant energy.
This radiant energy sustains life on earth. It gives us light and makes plants grow. It makes the wind blow and rain fall. It is stored as chemical energy in fossil fuels. Most of the energy we use today came from the sun’s radiant energy.
Hydrogen gas is lighter than air and, as a result, it rises in the atmosphere. This is why hydrogen as a gas (H2) is not found by itself on earth. It is found only in compound form with other elements. Hydrogen combined with oxygen, is water (H2O). Hydrogen combined with carbon, forms different compounds such as methane (CH4), coal, and petroleum. Hydrogen is also found in all growing things�biomass. It is also an abundant element in the earth’s crust.
Hydrogen has the highest energy content of any common fuel by weight(about three times more than gasoline), but the lowest energy content by volume (about four times less than gasoline). It is the lightest element, and it is a gas at normal temperature and pressure.
Use H2 as fuel save fossil water to drink with Ethanol!
A multi State fossil water Aquifer, (Ogallala) will be pumped dry without any way of renewing it while inflating commodities and fuel cost. Over two million people will not only be with out water to drink, prepare food and for hygiene. Therefore, large areas will be left in ruins much as the Anasazi; in addition of their Parallels between Moche and Maya or other Mesoamerican, when they disappeared, because of drought. I suggest the energy and money spent on ethanol be used to develop and use an ultimate fuel that cleans carbon out of atmosphere and leaves only pure water as a waste product, Hydrogen the Ultimate fuel.
…um, it’s the republicans who filibuster everything. i’m hoping the democrats win enough seats in the houses to overcome this.
i hope by ’statesmen’ you are not talking about democrats who want to pave the way for our own clean energy. it’s the republicans who all owned by oil men and who incessantly ache to give the tax credits to non-renewable energy companies.
this website is laughable, by the way.