Originally published July 31 2005
Building hydrogen-based economy creates challenges
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Witnesses from U.S. research institutions and the motor industry who spoke before a joint meeting of an energy and research House subcommittee said challenges for creating a hydrogen-based economy include difficulties with producing and storing hydrogen.
Creating a hydrogen-based economy to reduce US dependence on imported oil is a realistic prospect but there are a number of technical barriers to overcome before it can be achieved, according to witnesses before a joint meeting of an energy and research House subcommittee.
Witnesses from the Department of Energy, US research institutions and the motor industry told the committee July 24 of the difficulties involved in hydrogen production and storage and in the development of affordable fuel cells.
To speed up progress, the committee was urged to adopt incentives to encourage additional R&D in hydrogen technologies.
Congress should also encourage researchers towards a dual-path approach that would focus on developing more immediate technologies that could improve fuel efficiency, while continuing research into alternative energy forms such as hydrogen, electricity and biomass, witnesses said.
Hydrogen technologies offer potential environmental as well as strategic advantages but efforts must also go into making sure that they can compete economically with existing technologies, noted Rep. Judy Biggert R-IL, chair of the research subcommittee.
"Many of the benefits of a hydrogen economy, such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions, are not currently accounted for in the marketplace, which will make it difficult for hydrogen vehicles to compete with conventional technology," she said.
"I am pleased to report that our fuel cell activities recently achieved an important technology cost goal---the high-volume cost of automotive fuel cells was reduced from $275 per kilowatt to $200 per kilowatt," said Douglas Faulkner, acting secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy with the DoE.
In my judgment, failure to achieve this comes closer to a complete 'show-stopper' than any other possibility," warned David Bodde, director of innovation and public policy at Clemson University's International Center for Automotive Research.
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