IS THERE HOPE FOR HYDROGEN?
Book review of THE HYPE ABOUT HYDROGEN: Fact and Fiction in the Race To Save the Climate, by Joseph J. Romm. (Strong focus in the review on policy.)
Technology
Hydrogen economy looks out of reach
Converting every vehicle in the United States to hydrogen power would demand so much electricity that the country would need enough wind turbines to cover half of California or 1,000 extra nuclear power stations.
Survival may depend on bugs: scientists
Earth’s microbial lungs may be encouraged to take deeper breaths to rid the atmosphere of pollution.
Fuel Cell Celebrates One Year
Fairbanks, Alaska — The University of Alaska Fairbanks and Fuel Cell Technologies of Kingston, Ontario, have announced that the five-kilowatt solid oxide fuel cell installed in Fairbanks has successfully passed the one-year field operational mark.
The Hydrogen Economy – Energy and Economic Black Hole
Hydrogen isn’t an energy source – it’s an energy carrier, like a battery. You have to make it and put energy into it, both of which take energy.
Emergy Simulator: new free emergy modelling software released
Raphaël Valyi, a student at the french engineering school Ecole Centrale Lyon has just released new open-source software for modeling eMergy flows called Emergy Simulator.
Utilities see big things in store for micro-power units
Flexible, cheap and easy on the environment, mini-hydropower generators are creating a buzz. You don’t have to change the course of rivers and move mountains to generate electricity.
British firm makes nuclear industry’s ‘holy grail’ claim
A British company claims to have found the “holy grail” of the nuclear energy industry – a solution to the problem of radioactive waste disposal.
To boost US security, an energy diet
A rising chorus of experts … offer[s] a dramatic solution for America’s energy woes. By boosting the efficiency of cars, homes, and offices, the United States could dramatically cut its reliance on foreign oil and forgo building many new power plants. The solution would not only be easier than drilling for more energy, it would be cheaper, these experts say.
Can technology help find oil fast enough? Debate over ‘peak oil’ turns on industry advances
With oil prices hitting new highs, proponents of so-called “peak oil” argue that the world may be approaching the point where production can’t keep up with demand. And innovations, like 3D, are at the center of a debate over whether technology can help replace the world’s known oil supplies before they are depleted.
Methane in deep earth: A possible new source of energy
Labratory experiments reveal the possibility that large amounts of methane may be generated in the Earth’s mantle. Unfortunately the reaction is likely to occur at a depth of 100-200km.
Nanotech: Up and Atom
A Nobel Prize-winning chemist says the impending world energy shortage requires several miracles of science that nanotechnology can help to deliver.
