Congresswoman Wilson: Hydrogen Holds Great Promise for Energy Independence

 

Congresswoman Wilson: Hydrogen Holds Great Promise for Energy
Independence

Publication Date:09-October-2006
01:30 PM US Eastern Timezone
Source:FuelCellWorks
Washington - Congresswoman Heather Wilson today said that New Mexico
should have a central role in achieving energy independence through
research and development into alternative sources, such as hydrogen.
"America needs to be more energy independent," said Wilson,
speaking today at a luncheon of the National Hydrogen Association in
Albuquerque.  "Research and innovation - a New Mexico specialty
- can help unleash the tremendous potential of hydrogen energy."

Wilson said the U.S. Army, Chevron, City of Albuquerque and State of
New Mexico are working towards the development of a demonstration
hydrogen energy station in Albuquerque.  This would be the first
hydrogen energy station in New Mexico.

Wilson supports a balanced energy policy that includes development of
technology to use more renewable energy and find practical alternatives
to fossil fuel.  The Department of Energy is exploring a "hydrogen
economy" through the American Competitiveness Initiative and the
Advanced Energy Initiative.  The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed
into law at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico with the support
of the entire New Mexico congressional delegation, sets a goal of
hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road by 2020.

On May 10, 2006, with Wilson's support, the House passed the H-Prize
Act (H.R. 5143) to create a new incentive for the development of
hydrogen fuel.  The bill establishes a prize competition to develop
hydrogen energy as a practical alternative to fossil fuel. The H-prize
is modeled on previous successful science competitions, including the
Ansari X Prize, which led to the first privately funded suborbital
human spaceflight last year.  

"We need a balanced, longterm energy policy to make America energy
independent and preserve the beauty of the land we love," Wilson
said.  "We are best served when there are both public and private
resources focused on energy independence."  

Background on the H-Prize Act:

The legislation encourages increased collaboration between the
businesses, science, and educational sectors, and supports the
creativity of American research to develop an alternative fuel by
authorizing $11 million in annual appropriations.  Specifically, the
bill promotes technological advancements by awarding four $1 million
prizes every two years in the categories of hydrogen production,
storage, distribution, and utilization; encourages prototype
development by awarding one $4 million prize every two years for the
creation of a working hydrogen vehicle prototype; and rewards
transformation technologies with one $10 million grand prize for the
development of wells-to-wheels breakthrough technology, plus the
promise of $40 million in private matching funds. methods."
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com/Supppage6160.html

 


lkgeo1 wrote:

Let's go to fuelcellsworks.com and see what they have to say.  My
comments are in square brackets.

http://fuelcellsworks.com/JustthebasicsonHydrogen.html

How is hydrogen produced?

    It can be extracted from any substance with hydrogen: water, fossil
fuels and even some organic matter.  {okay, that what it's extract
FROM, not HOW]

    Almost all of the 40 million tons of hydrogen used worldwide today
comes from natural gas though a process called reforming.

[Natural gas?  Okay from a fossil fuel]

 Natural gas is made to react with steam, producing hydrogen and carbon
dioxide. The hydrogen is then used to make ammonia for fertilizer, in
refineries to make reformulated gasoline, and in the chemical, food and
metals industries.

    This is the cheapest way to make hydrogen today and is likely the
way we will make hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles in the near future.

[So, in the near future, why not just burn the natural gas??]

 Hydrogen also can be made from coal in a similar process where the
coal is reacted with steam.

[Another fossil fuel]

 Either way, though, the process releases carbon dioxide, a gas tied to
global warming.

[And both release CO2]

    Carbon-free methods involve splitting water into its component
parts of hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O).

    Electrolysis uses an electric current to separate water into
hydrogen and oxygen. The electric current has to itself be produced,
and the easiest but least efficient way is via some fossil fuel.

[Why not use the fossil fuel directly?]

 The holy grail of hydrogen is to use a renewable source like solar,
wind, hydro, geothermal or biomass power to create the current, making
the process pollution free and sustainable.

[If we had this "holy grail", why not use the electricity directly,
instead of wasting the majority of the energy in converting to
hydrogen??]

 

YES , It can be made from gas, IT CAN ALSO BE MADE FROM SOLAR. The
solar aspect is what I like. Is there ANY situation you can see using
hydrogen, EVER? :  http://world.honda.com/FuelCell/FCX/station/
Tony Wesley wrote                   :> lkgeo1 wrote:

 



lkgeo1 wrote:


Hydrogen as a fuel is an *utter waste of everyone's time*.

When somone bothers looking at the real cost it'll be quietly buried.

Graham

 

"Eeyore" wrote:


You are assuming that this country is populated by sensible and
moral people who elect leaders with the same qualities.

It obviously isn't.

The real problem has nothing to do with energy. It has to do
with the unrestrained material greed of the average American
who feels that there should be no limits on their consumption.

They are clearly willing to commit ecocide and mass murder to get
their way. Those are both going on right now.


Alan

--
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