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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
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To: Hawkmoon who wrote (186318)5/8/2006 10:36:57 AM
From: Wharf Rat  Read Replies (1) of 281500
 
Hydrogen isn't a source of energy. It's a carrier. You always have to put in more energy to get it than you get out. This is talkin' fuel cells, but it is the same thing with electrolysis. The only reason it is being pushed is that it means big bucks for a few folks. Same with EtOH; if it wasn't for ADM, MON, Cargill, we would be talking algae or hemp, instead of corn, as the feedstock.

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The basic problem of hydrogen fuel cells is that the second law of thermodynamics dictates that we will always have to expend more energy deriving the hydrogen than we will receive from the usage of that hydrogen. The common misconception is that hydrogen fuel cells are an alternative energy source when they are not. They are a form of energy storage - a big difference!

Because of the second law of thermodynamics, hydrogen fuel cells will always have a bad EROEI. If fossil fuels are used to generate the hydrogen, either through the Methane-Steam method or through Electrolysis of Water, there will be no advantage over using the fossil fuels directly. The use of hydrogen as an intermediate form of energy storage is justified only when there is some reason for not using the primary source directly. For this reason, a hydrogen-based economy must depend on large-scale development of nuclear power or solar electricity.

bnp.org.uk
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