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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DMaA who wrote (216114)	1/9/2002 12:41:37 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

jewishworldreview.com

To: DMaA who wrote (216114)	1/9/2002 12:47:13 PM
From: gao seng	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

That's not how I see it. I see Bush as saying that Gore's program is a failure, and putting it out of it's misery. No more spending on that loser program, and instead, invest in technology that is a win win for all. I do not see who loses here, except the oil companies. -- Excitement builds over fuel cells News from auto show and government holds promise for technology By Jeffrey Krasner, Globe Staff, 1/9/2002 isions of nonpolluting, petroleum-free automobiles yesterday sent shares of companies that make fuel cells soaring. At the Detroit Auto Show, General Motors Corp. stunned viewers with a car called the Autonomy, which uses fuel cell technology. Separately, speculation swirled that the US Department of Energy would today announce plans to kill a program intended to produce an 80-mile-per-gallon gasoline-powered car and replace it with a program promoting fuel cells. ''Right on!'' exulted David Eisenhaure, chief executive of Satcon Technology Corp. of Cambridge, which makes power converters and other devices that transform the DC electricity produced by fuel cells into the AC power necessary to run electric auto engines. ''This is a good thing,'' Eisenhaure said. ''This is a way to separate ourselves from our dependence on foreign oil. The time you can go to your dealer and buy a fuel cell will be a lot closer.'' Satcon shares jumped 18 percent to close at $5.59. Ballard Power Systems of Burnaby, British Columbia - considered by many the most advanced in developing automotive fuel cells - gained $4.55, or nearly 15 percent, to close at $34.96. Even fuel-cell companies that aren't looking at automotive applications saw themselves boosted by the sudden surge of enthusiasm. FuelCell Energy Inc. of Danbury, Conn., gained $2.20, or 13 percent, to $20.20. One of FuelCell Energy's devices is being installed at the US Coast Guard Air Station in Bourne. The 250-kilowatt fuel cell will provide electricity to barracks, hangars, and administrative buildings. The device is intended to reduce energy costs and serve as a model for possible future installations at other Coast Guard sites. ''For the first time in man's history, we're getting energy from a fossil fuel without burning it,'' said Jerry Leitman, FuelCell's president and chief executive. Leitman said support is growing for stationary fuel cells, as well as those used in vehicles. ''The Department of Energy is already supporting development of large fuel cells for distributed generation,'' he said, referring to a strategy in which energy users develop their own sources of power rather than relying on the grid. Fuel cells produce electricity through a chemical reaction that combines hydrogen with oxygen from the air. The hydrogen can come from fossil fuels, such as petroleum or natural gas, or renewable sources like methane produced by landfills. It can also be produced by electrolysis, which splits the hydrogen atoms in water molecules from their accompanying oxygen atoms. When operating, the fuel cells are silent and emit only water vapor. In an automotive application, the fuel cell's electricity would be used to power electric motors to turn the car's wheels. Fuel-cell cars could eliminate one of the biggest obstacles to widespread use of electric vehicles: the need to recharge frequently. But putting fuel-cell vehicles on the road would require an enormous investment in the infrastructure to replenish the fuel cells. Some think the Department of Energy will address that need in today's announcement. ''Not only is this a government validation of fuel cells, it also means more dollars will be shifted into fuel cell-related companies,'' said Eric Prouty, an energy analyst with Adams Harkness & Hill, an investment bank based in Boston. boston.com