Thomas Friedman recently published an Opinion piece in The New York Times entitled, While Detroit Slept, equating any congressional or presidential rescue of the Detroit auto industry to saving the mail-order-catalogue business on the eve of eBay or improving typewriters just before the advent of the personal computer and the internet. In his mind, the Big Three has been anachronistic, and entrusting them with an eleven-digit taxpayer loan would be foolish. He is probably right, even though the specter of a Depression triggered by their bankruptcy nevertheless cannot be totally discounted, so our domestic auto industry will no doubt be given one more chance.
He muses that the internal combustion engine / gasoline transport system as approaching obsolescence, and other concepts such as Shai Agassi’s Better Place electric vehicle network model a more promising future. Appropriately enough, an agreement was announced early this month for Hawaii being one of their first demonstration sites. A few days later, Maui Electric Company and Phoenix Motorcars signed a memorandum to use their electric pick-up trucks. All this is well and good, for Hawaii, naturally blessed with all the renewable energy options, has, for a variety of reasons, lagged behind much of the nation and world in going green.
A predictable trend is, no doubt, a gradual shift to battery-powered cars which can be charged with wind and solar energy. The lithium battery is poised to serve as this redeemer.
I say, let us support this effort, but be watchful for two impacting factors, one bad and the other, possibly monumentally good. First, the bad: my HuffPo article of December 7 on A Gift for Planet Earth and Humanity worries that the petroleum excursion below $50/barrel has, maybe fatally, dampened large-scale investments of renewable energy for a long time to come. T. Boone Pickens’ abandonment of his wind farms is only one of many such crushed ventures you’ll be reading about in the months to come. Crude oil, of course, will again shoot pass $100/bbl, if not next year, then certainly in five. However, financial organizations, rightfully so, are allergic to risk of any kind, and fickle oil prices have historically bedeviled all solar options. Thus, read the above posting to take advantage of this “gift” of time so that a range of remediative strategies can be applied.
He muses that the internal combustion engine / gasoline transport system as approaching obsolescence, and other concepts such as Shai Agassi’s Better Place electric vehicle network model a more promising future. Appropriately enough, an agreement was announced early this month for Hawaii being one of their first demonstration sites. A few days later, Maui Electric Company and Phoenix Motorcars signed a memorandum to use their electric pick-up trucks. All this is well and good, for Hawaii, naturally blessed with all the renewable energy options, has, for a variety of reasons, lagged behind much of the nation and world in going green.
A predictable trend is, no doubt, a gradual shift to battery-powered cars which can be charged with wind and solar energy. The lithium battery is poised to serve as this redeemer.
I say, let us support this effort, but be watchful for two impacting factors, one bad and the other, possibly monumentally good. First, the bad: my HuffPo article of December 7 on A Gift for Planet Earth and Humanity worries that the petroleum excursion below $50/barrel has, maybe fatally, dampened large-scale investments of renewable energy for a long time to come. T. Boone Pickens’ abandonment of his wind farms is only one of many such crushed ventures you’ll be reading about in the months to come. Crude oil, of course, will again shoot pass $100/bbl, if not next year, then certainly in five. However, financial organizations, rightfully so, are allergic to risk of any kind, and fickle oil prices have historically bedeviled all solar options. Thus, read the above posting to take advantage of this “gift” of time so that a range of remediative strategies can be applied.
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The second factor has to do with the long-term viability of battery systems. It is possible that lithium might well be the end of the line. So, in answer to Mr. Friedman, an earlier HuffPost on Simple Solutions for Our Biofuel Problem suggests a next generation technology as maybe a more hopeful choice rather than plug-in vehicles.
The second factor has to do with the long-term viability of battery systems. It is possible that lithium might well be the end of the line. So, in answer to Mr. Friedman, an earlier HuffPost on Simple Solutions for Our Biofuel Problem suggests a next generation technology as maybe a more hopeful choice rather than plug-in vehicles.
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Per unit volume, a fuel cell should be able to provide five times more energy than the lithium battery. Chapter 3 of SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Planet Earth provides the details on fuel cells, but, in short, this device works like a battery to produce electricity, but uses hydrogen as the energy source instead of lithium, lead or cadmium. However, and this defies common sense, one gallon of methanol has more accessible hydrogen than one gallon of liquid hydrogen. Thus, the logic argues for producing methanol from biomass to power a fuel cell, as hydrogen is very expensive to manufacture, store and deliver. This simplest of alcohols is the only biofuel capable of directly and efficiently being utilized by a fuel cell without passing through an expensive reformer.
Per unit volume, a fuel cell should be able to provide five times more energy than the lithium battery. Chapter 3 of SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Planet Earth provides the details on fuel cells, but, in short, this device works like a battery to produce electricity, but uses hydrogen as the energy source instead of lithium, lead or cadmium. However, and this defies common sense, one gallon of methanol has more accessible hydrogen than one gallon of liquid hydrogen. Thus, the logic argues for producing methanol from biomass to power a fuel cell, as hydrogen is very expensive to manufacture, store and deliver. This simplest of alcohols is the only biofuel capable of directly and efficiently being utilized by a fuel cell without passing through an expensive reformer.
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Yes, methanol has only half the energy value of gasoline, but the fuel cell is at least twice the efficiency of the internal combustion engine, so there is a wash here regarding onboard storage. And methanol is no more toxic than gasoline. You shouldn't drink either one.
Yes, methanol has only half the energy value of gasoline, but the fuel cell is at least twice the efficiency of the internal combustion engine, so there is a wash here regarding onboard storage. And methanol is no more toxic than gasoline. You shouldn't drink either one.
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But we have problem. The U.S. Department of Energy has prohibited providing funds for vehicular DMFCs, and furthermore, stopped supporting biomass to methanol R&D. It has mostly to do with ethanol and biodiesel being selected as the only national biofuels. Thus, we are probably a decade away, if not longer, from being able to convert to a biomethanol economy for transportation.
Thus, unless some sudden advancement can be realized in bringing a transport DMFC to the marketplace, it makes sense to cultivate options such as the plug-in electrical car system, hoping that wind and solar farms can enjoy a quick transition. In any event, watch out for the direct methanol fuel cell, for this virtually ignored opportunity could well either someday replace vehicles powered by batteries or in parallel maybe develop even faster.
But we have problem. The U.S. Department of Energy has prohibited providing funds for vehicular DMFCs, and furthermore, stopped supporting biomass to methanol R&D. It has mostly to do with ethanol and biodiesel being selected as the only national biofuels. Thus, we are probably a decade away, if not longer, from being able to convert to a biomethanol economy for transportation.
Thus, unless some sudden advancement can be realized in bringing a transport DMFC to the marketplace, it makes sense to cultivate options such as the plug-in electrical car system, hoping that wind and solar farms can enjoy a quick transition. In any event, watch out for the direct methanol fuel cell, for this virtually ignored opportunity could well either someday replace vehicles powered by batteries or in parallel maybe develop even faster.
7 comments:
Of the money we have seen thrown around thus far let me ask you this, that 168 billion that our country borrowed to give away to us in the form of an "economic stimulus package" ...did it do a darn thing to create jobs or stimulate our economy? NO, nothing. And we borrowed the money from China.
This past year the high cost of gas nearly destroyed our economy and society. More people lost jobs and homes as a direct result of that than any other factor in our history.
Fannie and Freddie continue to get all the blame. Of all the homes I have seen lost in my area SW FL and believe me I have seen many, none were due to an adjustable mortgage. They were due to lack of work.
Families went broke at the pump alone. Then added to that most saw record rate hikes at their utility companies. The high cost of fuel resulted in higher production and shipping costs that were passed on to the consumer, in most cases higher prices for smaller packaging.
Consumers tightened their belts, cut back, went out to eat less or stopped totally. Drove around on tires that needed replacing longer, some even quit buying medicines they really need.Unfortunately cutting back and spending less results in even more layoffs. A real economical catch-22.
And, as we are doing the happy dance around the lower prices at the pumps OPEC is planning to cut production to raise prices. They are even getting Russia in on the cutbacks. Oil is finite. We have used up the easy to get to reserves already. It will run out one day.
We have so much available to us. Solar and Wind are free sources of energy. Of course to get the harnessing process set up is somewhat costly it is still free energy.
It would cost the equivalent of 60 cents per gallon to charge and drive an electric car. The electricity to charge the car could be generated by solar or wind at least in part and in most cases totally.
If all gasoline cars, trucks, and suv’s instead had plug-in electric drive trains, the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota. What a powerful resources we have neglected.
Jeff Wilson has a profound new book out called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now. www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com Powerful, powerful book! Also, if you think electric cars are way out there in some futuristic lala land please check out the web site for a company Better Place. http://www.betterplace.com/ they are setting up infrastructures in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland as well as the state of Hawaii to accommodate electric car use.
I think we need to rethink all these bailouts and stimulus packages. We need to use some of these billions to bail America out of it's dependence on foreign oil. Create clean cheap energy, create millions of badly needed new green collar jobs and get out from under the grip foreign oil has on us. What a win -win situation that would be for America at large
Where did you make the photo of your blogs logo? Looks like a place I know, in a beautifull island... Use my email for the answer (if it is), I was just passing trought.
At this time plug in EVs do seem to be our best bet to break free on the stranglehold that oil has on our travel habits. This is the one form of transport that has the ablility to be powered by genuinely creal, renewable and sustainable sources, like solar, wind, wave, hydro geothermal etc. And EVs have the ability to make a real and a discenrnable difference to issues that confront us today.
Dear Henrique:
Couldn't find your e-mail address, so in answer to your question, behind me (standing in Halekulani's House without a Key)is Waikiki Beach, with Diamond Head in the background.
Aloha.
Pat
Dear BeyondGreen:
I generally agree with you. You might want to go to the Huffington Post and read my article on Buy American, Again. I reflect a similar viewpoint.
Aloha.
Pat
Dear ZAP Xebra:
My Huffington Post article on this same subject drew 30 comments. You should go there and read those responses. It seems that the plug-in electric car system might be a dead end. However, if the direct methanol fuel cell does not work, then what?
Aloha.
Pat
Dear ZAP Xebra, again:
For some reason, the html did not work, so I'll try it again:
Huffington Post article
If the above does not work, go to http://HuffingtonPost.com, type Patrick Takahashi into the upper right corner box, click on SEARCH, and click on that "plug-in" posting of December 15.
Happy Holidays.
Pat
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