Now that sales of hybrid cars are on the rise and President Bush has supported a "hydrogen economy," are we moving any closer to a gasoline-free economy and cleaner climate? Is it time to look around for hydrogen-related investments?
Joseph Romm, author and former administrator for the Department of Energy under the Clinton Administration, says that while hydrogen technology may be able to address some short-term energy needs, powering automobile engines isn't one of them.
Romm begins with the basics, educating the reader on how fuel cells actually work to produce heat and electricity and the role hydrogen plays in this chemical process. He then sifts fact from fiction as he criticizes the hyped-up marketing of emission-free fuel cell cars. Is it too much promise, too fast? Romm believes so and backs it up with several cold hard statements, this being the most startling: "Hydrogen fuel cell cars are unlikely to achieve significant market penetration [in the U.S.] by 2030."
The reader may be left to wonder if hydrogen is worth the risk at all. Will it help us achieve energy independence? Romm thinks it possible; however, he would rather play it safe as he reveals his strategies for a cleaner climate: 1) The government needs to increase the energy budget; 2) Use technology to find a low-cost way to reduce CO2 emissions; 3) Figure out how to get to a hydrogen-based economy; 4) Campaign for natural gas and electricity; and 5) Make the public aware of the tough road ahead.
In sum, The Hype about Hydrogen aims to educate us on the alarming state of energy resources, and warns that too many eggs put in the hydrogen basket just might make the globe more vulnerable to global warming and other eco-disasters.—Sara Grant
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1 Why Hydrogen? Why Now?
Chapter 2 Fuel Cell Basics
Chapter 3 The Path to Fuel Cell Commercialization
Chapter 4 Hydrogen Production
Chapter 5 Key Elements of Hydrogen-Based Transportation System
Chapter 6 The Long Road to Commercialization of Fuel Cell Vehicles
Chapter 7 Global Warming and Scenarios for a Hydrogen Transition
Chapter 8 Coping with the Global Warming Century
Chapter 9 Hydrogen Partnerships and Pilots
Conclusion: Choosing Our Future