OFF: FLOODS ARE COMING

Mark Jermy m.jermy at CRANFIELD.AC.UK
Fri Apr 6 05:08:35 EDT 2001


FoFP writes:
>Mark Jermy writes:
>
>> Besides which, if even there was no anthropomorphic greenhouse effect, if
we
>> continue to rely on fossil fuel we will run out. Maybe not in our
lifetimes,
>> but what about our children's lifetimes?
>
>Does anyone really believe that we won't get nuclear fusion working
>within our children's lifetimes?

I wish I had your confidence in high technology fixes. I think the chances
of extracting useful power from fusion greater than nil but still slim. The
problem is containing the plasma without sapping energy from it and
extinguishing the reaction- given that the plasma is highly turbulent and
difficult to control. Plus the energy extraction/conversion into electricity
is a non trivial problem which has been little studied.

>
>> Academic and industrial opinion is rapidly approaching a concensus that
>> using hydrogen as a way of transporting energy is the best solution. You
can
>> generate it in many ways, from fossil or renewable energy sources, you
can
>> use it in a number of ways, and the wast product is water.
>
>Even the major car manufacturers admit that hydrogen fuel cells will be
>commonplace by 2030.
>
They certainly understand that it is a possibility, and are looking at
having the required technology ready- they are not sticking their heads in
the sand or trying to protect the internal combustion engine.
There is an intermidiate technology that is already on the roads of Munich-
the hydrogen fuelled internal combustion engine. Same wate products as the
fuel cell, although less efficient.

Mark



More information about the boc-l mailing list