Tomorrow's Energy: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and the Prospects for a Cleaner Planet

Hydrogen storage is a central issue surrounding adaptation into hydrogen as tomorrow's energy. Internal Combustion Engines burning hydrogen seem like the popular future. Toyota's Rav 4 prototype uses a metal hydride to carry hydrogen in solid form. Hydrogen extracting micro plant under the hood seems unfeasible and hydride storage seems more probable, as the means for storing hydrogen. Steel pressurized tanks seem unfeasible requiring 5,000 psi, weighting 3,400 lbs, and maintaining 800 atmospheres. Hydrides are safer because they cannot spill or vent hydrogen or burn in a crash. Energy Conversion Devices touts its magnesium based atomically based engineered hydrides as capable of storing hydrogen efficiently and effectively. In 2004, a Toyota Prius housed a ECD solid hydrogen storage system. The prototype Prius achieved 200 miles ranges, used a turbo charged internal combustible engine too boost horse power, innovated with carbon fiber wound tank reducing weight competitively, maintained 1,500 psi during saturation and an operating pressure of 300-500 psi, timeout at eight minutes for refueling with a goal of reaching five minutes, and a storage capacity of 3 kilograms of hydrogen. Hydrides slow down fast moving neutrons. Hydrides release and absorb hydrogen at different pressures: Hydrogen under higher pressure than equilibrium is absorbed into the metal and is in solid form and gives off heat; Hydrogen under lower pressure than equilibrium releases and heat must be added. To release hydrogen the gas pressure is simply lowered. The new ECD carbon fiber tank offers huge advantages over a "steel tank" which can weight 25 times as much for the same carrying capacity of hydrogen. The lighter weighting tank overcomes one barrier towards accepting hydrogen as the alternative fuel to oil. In 1997, transportation consumed 54% of the oil consumption, of 18.6 million barrels of oil a day. The second barrier to overcome will be too solving the refueling time lag, reducing refueling times to five minutes or less. More doubt seems to be direct at fuel cell technology. China seems down on fuel cell technology viewing the technology as too expensive for developing countries. More optimism seems to be swinging towards Internal combustible engines running hydrogen.

Tomorrow's Energy is a thorough discussion of a topic that is rapidly gaining importance - hydrogen. The book proposes hydrogen as the energy of the near future. It includes the history of hydrogen as a fuel, and what measures are currently being taken to produce hydrogen-powered automobiles, air and space craft, homes, and offices. Hoffmann describes in detail how hydrogen fuel is produced and used, and why hydrogen is a better choice than fossil fuels. The book discusses what must be done in order for non-polluting hydrogen to overtake fossil fuels, and the prospect of a "hydrogen community."This book, though obviously in favor of hydrogen energy, provides a detailed and, for the most part, many sided report on hydrogen's possibilities. It has a lot of numbers but is generally easily understood by the layman, though it assumes that the reader has a basic knowledge of chemistry. Hydrogen is an interesting and exciting thing, and this book provide a good understanding of its past, present and future. Stylistically, the book is a bit dry, but has sharp and occasionally witty quotes to lighten the tone. I would recommend "Tomorrow's Energy" to anyone who wants to learn more about this promising subject, as long as the reader uses the information to form their own opinion.

This is a good book as an introduction to hydrogen and its' potential uses in many aspects of our lives. However, I disagree with the author's conclusion that it would take decades to replace the existing infrastructure. That may be the case in a socialistic economy but in the U.S., if there is a need and a desire, we can do it in just a few years.The fact is that we have a huge need to get out from under the yoke of OPEC. We are forced to be heavily involved in mid east politics just to insure a constant flow of oil to support our everyday lives. Meanwhile, we have put ourselves in the crosshairs of the Islamic extremists who want us out of the mid east and to moderate our policies in Israel. If we want to prevent any further terrorist actions against us, then the best thing to do is develop hydrogen power and nuclear power and divest ourselves from mid east politics as fast as possible.Write your Congressman and U.S. Senators and demand that we move quickly on this technology.

Peter Hoffmann is the editor and publisher of "The Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letter", and this book focuses on the myriad uses of fuel cells, in great detail. But other uses of hydrogen are covered to some extent also. Topics discussed are automotive, utility, food production, home heating, hydrogen production, and many others. Hoffman notes in this volume time and again that hydrogen is an energy carrier, like electricity, and not an energy source, so it must be produced via energy sources such as coal, wind, solar, and nuclear, among others. Hoffmann does a very good job in this area, and the generation of greenhouse gasses is a central theme of this book, basically how we can generate hydrogen with little or no carbon dioxide buildup. As you may know, the combustion of hydrogen with oxygen only produces water. Safety of hydrogen use is another area extensively covered. The book begins with Hoffmann giving a history of hydrogen use and research over the past 200 years or so, right up to the present time, politics having an effect on our energy future also, of course. Senator Tom Harkin gives readers a very good foreward to the book. One area of great interest to me that was mentioned in this book is the possibility of using atomic hydrogen (this is hydrogen in it's disassociated state, not the molecular hydrogen) as rocket fuel, as Hoffmann says, a specific impulse of over 1000 seconds may be achieved, well above today's rocket engines, if it can be safely stabilized. I wish this topic was covered better than the brief sketch Hoffmann gave it. The final chapter of the book attempts to extrapolate the future use of hydrogen. Various experts are quoted by Hoffmann as to what we may expect in the decades ahead with regards to hydrogen use. Hoffmann does himself say that the existing energy infrastructure may be difficult to replace due to the economic inertia of change, and many decades may be required, in the United States it's vast coal reserves may preclude widespread hydrogen use idefinitely. Overall, the volume is a good introduction to energy if sometimes a little short on the science. At the back of the book there are extensive notes with references to further reading for those desiring to do so.