I continue to hear talk about fuel cell cars as the technology of the future.  And, occasionally there's talk of a Hydrogen economy wherein we get all of our energy from Hydrogen.

This will NEVER happen.

First, hydrogen has only about 1/5 to 1/3 the energy per unit volume of gasoline.  While fuel cells are theoretically much more efficient than the ICE (as much as 90% efficient as opposed to 30-something% for internal combustion), this applies to large, very hot fuel cells.  These are not the fuel cells that will go in a car.  Because of size and temperature constraints, fuel cells for cars have an efficiency closer to 40% (not much better than Diesel).

Second, any hydrogen used for fuel will NOT come from water.  I repeat, it WILL NOT come from water.  Electolysis of water to split H2O into H2 and O2 takes ENERGY.  You cannot then recombine H2 and O2 in a fuel cell and get out MORE energy than went into the electrolysis.  This defies the law of conservation of energy: "In a closed system, energy can neither be created or destroyed, only changed in form."  It CANNOT BE DONE.  At least, not without a NET loss of energy.

Three, hydrogen can be extracted rather cheaply from methane (natural gas).  Unfortunately, the by-product of this separation is Carbon Monoxide which, aside from being poisonous, has a Global Warming Potential of three(3) to ten(10) times that of Carbon Dioxide.  With the impetus for a search for alternative energies being the farce called Global Warming, this hardly makes sense.

I only write this post because I KEEP HEARING ABOUT HYDROGEN!  About cars that run on water, or have no emissions, or some other such nonsense; and it gives me a crushing migraine every time I hear it.  Such a thing does not exist and, more importantly, WILL NEVER EXIST.  Sorry.

Carry on.

Well, if you are going to let FACTS get in the way the DNC and Greenpeace are going to get very upset with you.  Mr. Hansen will probably insist you be prosecuted for MMGW Denial which will soon be a capital offense in California thanks to an activist judiciary there.

paleocon wrote:Well, if you are going to let FACTS get in the way the DNC and Greenpeace are going to get very upset with you.  Mr. Hansen will probably insist you be prosecuted for MMGW Denial which will soon be a capital offense in California thanks to an activist judiciary there.

They'll never take me alive. Ha ha ha-ha ha ha-ha ha!

Oh..... wait.    That's what they want, isn't it?  

I may have to rethink this.
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Hydrogen forever! Yaaay Hydrogen!

Eyas wrote:They'll never take me alive. Ha ha ha-ha ha ha-ha ha!

Oh..... wait.    That's what they want, isn't it?  

I may have to rethink this.
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Hydrogen forever! Yaaay Hydrogen!

Yes, I suspect your health, wellbeing and longevity is of little concern to Dr. Hansen.