hydrogen fuel cell car

Sinapus · #1 January 29th, 2003, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dogscoff:
oh, 25% then. Still, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

Microwave beams do sound cool, except that if the satellite slips out of it's geosynchronous orbit it could accidentally frazzle anything on the ground below it...

If the area the beam is sending the energy to is concentrated as well.

capnq · #2 January 30th, 2003, 12:30 AM

One of the costs of solar power that isn't usually mentioned is pollution from manufacturing all those solar panels. Making photovoltaic cells is a pretty nasty process, from what I've heard.

Arkcon · #3 January 30th, 2003, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by capnq:
One of the costs of solar power that isn't usually mentioned is pollution from manufacturing all those solar panels. Making photovoltaic cells is a pretty nasty process, from what I've heard.

I heard that some people in Japan are putting solar cells on top of their houses. They have to buy them, maintain them, and they have to pay the local electric company more than the going rate for this electricity, and sell their surplus electricity back at less than the electric company's going rate.

This is mind boggling. Why do this? Prestiege? To benefit the rest of the neighborhood? To just insure they personally are never affected by a rolling blackout?

And if the Last one is true, is that a good enough reason for parts of the US to do the same?

Oh no, a chink in my capitalist armor. Quick someone plug it with a wad of 20's.

[ January 29, 2003, 22:44: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

Puke · #4 January 30th, 2003, 12:47 AM

dude, Japan could teach the course on capitalism. sure, they over extended their economy a bit by purchasing half of the developed world, but they're getting better. slowly.

and if making the little guy buy solar pannels in order to profit off of them isnt capitalism, im not sure what is. I just wish I'd thought of it (and been in the position to benefit from it) first!

Puke · #5 January 30th, 2003, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by capnq:
One of the costs of solar power that isn't usually mentioned is pollution from manufacturing all those solar panels. Making photovoltaic cells is a pretty nasty process, from what I've heard.

Of course, all the excessive industrial polution in the world will eventually reap disasterous results. Like giant lizards emerging from the waters off shore of Tokyo. You know, "Time shows us again and again, how nature points out the folly of man."

GO-GO-GODZILLA!

Thermodyne · #6 January 30th, 2003, 01:40 AM

Let�s note a few points here. Hydrogen is the energy in gas oil and coal. So we have quite a lot at the moment, all we need to do is change the way we refine it. And in so doing, we can contain the carbon, sulfur and other impurities. So we can deploy cars with fuel cells. Add to that some advancements in superconducting magnets and storage batteries, and you could have a workable car. But that won�t solve the problem! What it comes down to is that there are just too many cars in the world. And that brings us to the problem of too many people in the world, a problem that will never be addressed. So, we will continue to consume everything in sight until it runs out. Here in the developed world we will spend on technology and try to hold the line on the damage we do. All the while, the developing world will continue to increase their out put at a rate that far exceeds our reductions. So in the end, we will continue to screw it all up until something runs out. Then there will suddenly be a lot less people.

Fian · #7 January 30th, 2003, 01:49 AM

I just read this one site about fuel cells, and they suggest that a fuel cell vehicle will produce less water than a gasoline vehicle, so the fears of "water pollution" causing problems in cities is unlikely to occur. The site did note, though, that the water vapor was colder than in a combustion engine, so it might not be absorbed in the air as much.

As for the comments about it taking fossil fuels to create the electricity to extract hydrogen from water, that appears to not be an issue. Most of the hydrogen fuel cells being examined right now are using fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, methane) to produce the hydrogen, and as such you do gain energy in the process. (btw, the only thing that such a fuel cell produces is water and CO2. Personally, I don't think the world needs to worry about CO2 production, but that is a topic for another debate (: ).

Oh yeah, here is the URL for the website I was reading: http://www.fuelcells.org/fcfaqs.htm#from

[ January 29, 2003, 23:50: Message edited by: Fian ]