| Contents Notes |
Why hydrogen? Buckminster Fuller, Sheikh Yamani, and Bill Clinton -- Hydrogen's discovery : phlogiston and inflammable air -- A history of hydrogen energy : the Reverend Cecil, Jules Verne, and the redoubtable Mr. Erren -- Producing hydrogen from water, natural gas, and green plants -- Primary energy : using solar and other power to make hydrogen -- Hydrogen for cars and buses : steaming tailpipes -- Fuel cells : Mr. Grove's lovely technology -- Hydrogen in aerospace : clean contrails and the Orient Express -- Hydrogen as utility gas : the invisible flame -- Non-energy uses of hydrogen : metallic H2, biodegradable plastics, and H2 tofu -- Safety : the Hindenburg syndrome ; or, "Don't paint your dirigible with rocket fuel" -- The next 100 years. In this book Peter Hoffmann describes current research toward a hydrogen-based economy. He presents the history of hydrogen energy and discusses the environmental dangers of continued dependence on fossil fuels. Hydrogen is not an energy source but a carrier that, like electricity, must be manufactured. Today hydrogen is manufactured by "decarbonizing" fossil fuels. In the future it will be derived from water and solar energy and perhaps from "cleaner" versions of nuclear energy. Because it can be made by a variety of methods, Hoffmann argues, it can be easily adapted by different countries and economies. Hoffmann acknowledges the social, political, and economic difficulties in replacing current energy systems with an entirely new one. Although the process of converting to a hydrogen-based economy would be complex, he demonstrates that the environmental and health benefits would far outweigh the costs. |
