Happy Independence Day
Independence from petroleum, that is. We’re not there yet obviously, but there’s hope. Honda and General Motors are hoping that the fuel cell will go from being a scientific curiosity to a mass-produced item by the end of the decade. The fuel cell takes hydrogen and oxygen from the air to create a steady current for running electric vehicles. The fuel cell vehicle’s only exhaust is water vapor.
GM’s global director of fuel cell development is hoping this technology will bring us closer to “weaning ourselves off petroleum.”
Right now there are about 200 prototype fuel cell vehicles being tested. The fuel cell goes back over a hundred years, but its first practical application was during space flights of the 1960s and early ‘70s. It’s time to make fuel cell vehicles a mass-market reality.
And in a related story, renewable energy will soon replace natural gas as the world’s second largest source of electricity. According to the International Energy Agency, renewable sources will increase by forty percent over the next five years. At that point, they’ll be providing twenty-five percent of the world’s energy supply.
OK, so we’re not there yet. But we’re on our way.
Happy Independence Day.
posted by Tom Harper @ 1:12 AM
8 Comments:
All well and good if climate change doesn't kill us first.
I look forward to the day when we are independent of petroleum COMPANIES!
They used to say in the 70's that Solar will never go over until the Utilities can figure out how to put a meter on the Sun.
I still believe that
Erik
It probably will be too little too late.
Then when you top it off with Greed, will the masses be able to afford it when it does come ?
The utilities are against solar because they want to keep the generation of energy centralized in large producing facilities. Solar allows people to control their own energy. Can you imagine everyone with solar power on their roofs, or a city block sharing energy. The thought of it gives utility CEOs nightmares.
Interesting how conservatives always berate large government, but fall that the feet of large business.
Demeur: It'll be a close race. I hope we don't come in second.
Jerry: Me too.
Erik: I still believe it too.
Spud: Good question.
Jerry: Utilities won't be able to create any of those fake energy "shortages" if too many people are using renewable energy sources.
This is good stuff to hear! I sure hope Honda and GM can make it in their quest for mass production of fuel cells and fuel-cell-propelled vehicles. They will face stiff opposition from the petroleum industry, but if they can make the cells and vehicles affordable, they'll be on their way.
Snave: You're right about the fossil fuel industry fighting this tooth and nail. But if fuel cell vehicles become cheap to mass-produce, the free market will take care of this. It'll be one of those cases where liberals are cheering for the free market, and conservatives are clamoring for those meddling government bureaucrats to come in and rescue the oil companies.
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