hydrogen

3 December 2004

HYDROGEN
The automobile industry is planning to put fuel-cell-powered automobiles on the road by 2004. But the new cars won't be on the road for long because these fuel cells use hydrogen via methanol that is made from fossil fuel.

Hydrogen is not a "source" of energy -- it's an energy "carrier" (like electricity). A chemical process known as "steam methane reforming" produces about 95 percent of the hydrogen used in the USA. A carbon-based feedstock (usually natural gas or coal) is combined with steam under high pressure and temperature to produce hydrogen at about a 35 percent energy loss. Methanol is usually produced from natural gas or coal at a 32 to 44 percent net energy loss. http://dieoff.com/page175.htm .

But how about hydrogen from water? The Schatz Energy Research Center recently built a hydrogen generation station for use with their fuel cell vehicles. According to Michael Winkler, hydrogen generation is about 80% efficient using electricity to extract hydrogen from water. The Center's fuel cells are about 50% efficient. This leads to a total cycle efficiency of approximately 40%. http://www.humboldt.edu/~serc/index.shtml .

None of this includes the energy costs of either producing the original electricity or manufacturing the equipment.  Moreover, no renewable energy systems have the potential to generate more than a tiny fraction of the electricity now being generated by fossil fuels.


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Solar Life Raft Ingredients

Timeblind
Format: Digital
Release date: 4th January 2010
Available at
  • coltan and cassiterite Timeblind

The unmixed ingredients from Rupture and Shadetek’s Solar Life Raft. Including two tracks by me: Coltan and Cassiterite and Space Cadet (which came out on last year’s 12” on Version)

I’ve been waiting/yearning for Coltan and Cassiterite to come out for much of last year. I was about to release it myself just to relieve my own tension waiting for it. Anyway, its on a good home: The Agriculture and the reviews have been great so far.

The title refers to two of the minerals that are mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo and are components in portable electronics like cel phones. Its one of the unfortunate driving forces behind continuing warfare among the militias in the Rwanda/DRC border area.

Avail at boomkat: http://➯.ws/⚥ SLR in 320kMP3 and Flac