Dr T Reg

http://www.ashland.com

3 Comments

    • GM Looks Beyond Oil [view article]
      Mr. Robert G., I'm afraid my backyard is not that big - not that deep. Please see the very first comment on this article. Who is going to pay for the hydrogen infrastructure for delivery to end-users - proposed as being somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 BILLION. And then once you can distribute it, where are you going to get all of that hydrogen ? I can tell you where, but you aren't going to like it. Your going to do a partial oxidation of a hydrocarbon source like coal, petroleum or natural gas to make some H2 and carbon monoxide and then do a water-gas shift with the carbon monoxide to make CO2 and more hydrogen. Your still making CO2 when your making hydrogen from any hydrocarbon unless it is from a natural source whereby you can mitigate the total balance of CO2 entering the atmosphere. The other way is to burn hydrocarbon fuel(s) to spin turbines to make electricity to split water to hydrogen and oxygen and then separate the hydrogen. You're still making CO2 to make electricity. Electricity made from renewables, solar or wind could offset the CO2 production.

      Ethanol is the ultimate answer - we need to make sure we make enough to continue to keep everyone from "really" being concerned through adequate consumption.       Apr 21 04:14 PM
    • GM Looks Beyond Oil [view article]
      Jack,

      The electric companies are designed to make peak power reqiurements; typically for daytime peak load requirement in most areas (Las Vegas being one exception that comes to mind). Therefore they typically taper down generation at night by spinning less of their turbines. That results in inefficient utilization of resourses (turbine-based power generation equipment). Since most people would charge their car battery packs at night, the power companies could simplify operations and create better plant utilization by producing power on a more constant bases day and night to give us all of those nightime electrons for our car battery packs.       Apr 18 02:25 PM
    • GM Looks Beyond Oil [view article]
      So, who is going to foot the approximately $150 billion bill for developing the hydrogen infrastructure? Electricity that is delivered to 99.99997% of the homes and businesses in the US and a very large percentage of the world that relies upon personal vehicle transportation already has that infrastructure. Be smart, Dr. Burns, go for electrons produced by clean production technologies (wind, solar, steam-hydro, etc.), if want to wean the world from petroleum-based fuels. Apr 18 10:10 AM
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