11 September 2005

Good news on the hydrogen front

If the claims made by Amminex are true, hydrogen as a fuel is a step closer to reality. They say they've devised a safe, cheap way to store, transport, and use hydrogen, apparently by embedding it in a solid matrix of some kind.

Now all we need is a cheap, efficient way to produce the stuff. Whatever it is, I hope it's something that can be used on a small scale, so that it becomes usable by small communities. This would reduce energy dependence, since anyone could produce it, and reduce energy wastage, since it would not have to be transported over large distances. It would even help with national security, since having distributed production, and no distribution network necessary, removes what is currently one of the most cost-effective targets for terrorism.

Personally, I would bet on some microbe that is able to break up water. But anything that reduces the world's dependence on the few oil-producing nations, reduces pollution, slows global warming, and makes us safer would be very welcome indeed.

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