Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Airwaves
There are alternatives to fosile fuels. The problem really isn't research and development, it's distribution!
The Oil companies have things locked up nicely. Otherwise we could seriously look at things like Hydrogen and electric vehicles to replace gasoline driving autos.
Without a distribution network all the research and development in the world that comes up with alternative sources of energy will be for naught.
The introduction of a distribution network for hydrogen/electric or other sources of energy that can be (and eventually will be) produced in the U-S will reduce the importation for foreign oil and all that such importation means.
This is not the proper forum to go "political" but if the US Government wanted to facilitate these "alternative" sources, they would by forcing the creation of a distribution network, much like they tried to do with telephone services when Ma Bell was deemed to be a monopoly.
How do you reduce greenhouse gasses....did I mention the development of a solid, realistic distribution network?
|
If hydrogen were readily available for use as a fuel, a distribution system would quickly be developed.
Hydrogen is not readily available in nature, it is always combined with something else. The processes that currently produce hydrogen use more energy than the collected hydrogen will produce. Those processes use mostly energy derived from fossil fuels. There is a professor from U Lowell who feels hydrogen can be economically produced using nuclear energy, he is probably right but nuclear power has its own political problems.
Hydrogen is also very unstable (Hindenberg) and very difficult to store due to high pressure required and small molecule size. Gasoline is much more stable and exists as a liquid at room temperature.
If an economically viable source for hydrogen becomes available, you will see it take over oil as an energy source. There is nothing the "scary and omnipotent" oil companies will be able to do about it. Developing a distribution system before that source is available is like putting the cart before the horse, it doesn't make sense.