[Leica] A First (very OT)

[abridge at gmail.com (Adam Bridge)]

On 4/21/05, Henning Wulff <henningw@archiphoto.com> wrote:
>
> <stuff snipped> 
>
> Hybrids and Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have their own problems, and
> are not as environmentally friendly as might be assumed at first.
> Batteries _need_ nasty chemicals, otherwise they could not react with
> such force to produce power. They cause problems to produce, store,
> ship and dispose of. The good thing about hybrids, just like with
> diesels is that they even out the load requirements over their duty
> cycles, and therefore are more efficient.

Lead-acid storage cells aren't really that filled with awful
chemicals. A bit of acid and some lead plates with calcium and some
other goodies mixed in for good measure. There are some new
technologies are promising better power densities.

I see that some folks are finding ways to plug in their hybrids (as
can be done in Europe) so they get over 100 mpg. I'm all for this. I'd
rather have vehicles use mostly electric power and then focus on
efficient and low-pollution at the power generation site than lots of
small power generators that are less efficient and which pollute more.
 
> Hydrogen fuel cells are a good idea, but how do you get the hydrogen?
>  From fossil fuels - the cheapest and easiest way? or through
> electrical means from water? That takes a lot of electricity, and
> then you are only transferring the problems to the power plant from
> the internal combustion engine. Also, how do you distribute,
> transport and store hydrogen. The best storage systems use exotic
> metal sponges that are very energy intensive to produce.

I've seen a demo system that used a fuel-cell during the night. During
the day a solar array provided power, the excess going into making the
hydrogen and oxygen for the fuel cell.

While I agree there are problems with hydrogen storage they are just
engineering problems: how to design consumer-used hydrogen loading
systems, for example. Hydrogen is a more benign fuel than gasoline.
Fueled outside it is highly unlikely to be found in the "magic"
explosive concentration. So it'll just burn and in the process rise
and dilute itself quite rapidly.

I've worked around enough liquified gas to be wary of it (and remember
a truly awful training film that showed in gruesome detail the last
moments of a man sprayed down with LOX).

I'm all for using as much solar as we can. And I'm a backer of nuclear
power too, an area where design is becoming increasingly
sophisticated.

> We're not out of the woods.

No, we're not. And I feel that, in the US at least, we're not even
playing with a full deck as we wander around.

Thanks for your thoughtful response.

Adam