Everyone seems to be concrete with carbon fuels-Why not the absolute best energy source of Hydrogen?

Question

You -all are like hypnotized to expect carbon-based fuels to supply all our future energy neads. Hydrogen is the future and if you are ignorant of this then you are a part of the problem. If you are cognisent of this then you are part of the solution! So which is it- Are you the problem or are you the solution? Greedy , evil people not apply!

Answer 1

I would gladly switch to Hydrogen - but There is no place that sells it within 500+ miles of where I live.

Answer 2

News flash: ethanol IS a HYDROcarbon fuel. Even gasoline actually burns the hydrogen in the gasoline molecule. The problem with H2 is mostly storage, but also infrastructure. Not to mention that hydrogen has to be MADE USING SOME OTHER FUEL source. H2 doesn't solve ANYTHING. It's just a technology better used elsewhere.

Answer 3

Hydrogen most likely is the power of the future. But that is the future. We will have to burn a lot of carbon based fuels to get to there. If it were legislated to switch to hydrogen  within 10 years(or some other arbitrarily designated date) the resulting economic depression would be devastating. Many many people would die (headlines read women and children hardest hit). But since this is the ultimate goal of the modern environmental movement(sic) then I'm sure that the anti-capitalists.....oops I mean the environmentalists will try and push through such a policy.

Since the latest scientific evidence suggests that we will never run out of crude oil, as it is being generated by good ole mother earth nearly as quick as we use it, and previosly undiscovered supplies are being found every day,  I think the near future will see technology that makes much more efficient use of this type of fuel, and it will be with us for a long time.

I have a bet for anyone that is willing to take me up on it......I bet that my great-grand kids will be driving cars that are powered by hydro-carbon fuels......I haven't figured out how to settle up on this one yet

Answer 4

In its 2007 Corporate Citizenship Report, ExxonMobil Corp. said it is "Conducting research and development of an on-vehicle hydrogen production system, which has the potential to imporve vehicle efficiency by up to 80% while improving safety and eliminating the need for a hydrogen distribution infrastructure."

"Scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and 2 universities are working on turning sugars known as polysaccharides into low cost hydrogen with the help of enzymes.  Enzymes can break the mix of sugars and water into hydrogen and carbon dioxide.  The scientists say a tank containing such a mix, with the right enzymes, could power a car for more than 300 miles.  Production cost of about $1 per pound, could be cheaper than generating hydrogen from natural gas.

As of March 2004, researchers at the University of Minnesota are working on using ethanol to make hydrogen.  The efficiency rates so far show that the process of converting ethanol to hydrogen is much greater than using it for petro.

I am ready for the "Hydrogen Era."

Answer 5

Government-that would make too much sense & be too inexpensive.  Duh

Answer 6

Hydrogen is not an energy source, it is just a way to store energy than needs to come from some other source.  

Even if the infrastructure to run things on hydrogen was in place there would still need to be a power source to extract it from water.  Unless there are a ton of nuclear or other clean power plants built the energy to make the hydrogen would come from burning coal or natural gas.  A power plant is probably a bit greener than a gas engine but it is still using fossil fuel.

Answer 7

Being not ignorant is:

--> realizing that hydrogen is an energy carrier (like electricity), not an energy source and has to be generated.

The conversion of mechanical energy to electricity and back is over 95%. In the case of hydrogen, it is at 60% maximum.

This means that hydrogen could only have a use in "mobile energy sources" like in transportations.

Answer 8

although i think most of us would love a clean ,and safe fuel to replace gas . the fact is at this time hydrogen isn't really  at this point a reasonable alternative .it simply isn't in enough supply to meet our country's needs let alone the world at this point .maybe the future holds promise that someday it will be