- #1
SailboatMD
The Dark Side of Hydrogen Power:
As with most solutions, Hydrogen Power made by splitting the elements of water H2O, also creates new problems. Currently there is barely enough fresh drinking water on Earth for our six billion people. Not only third world countries suffer this problem but even San Diego California now has a program called “From the sewer to the sink,” where they reclaim sewer water for drinking.
If all of the energy needs for six billion people are addressed via splitting hydrogen from water, we will have to desalinate the oceans as a means of providing enough fresh water to split. Even more will be desalinated for drinking and agriculture as it will only mean building more and larger desalination plants.
When the hydrogen is burnt and converted into energy you will not get more than a small amount of water vapor (its byproduct) back into the atmosphere and thus our oceans. You do not get one gallon of water back after the energy is sucked out from one gallon of water H2O split and used for the fuel. If our oceans decrease by only a few inches, they will become more salty unless the salt is set aside in world wide landfills. Even so, it is a sure bet that plant and other life in our oceans will die as a direct result of massive desalination for hydrogen based energy.
Drawn to its conclusion, our Earth may look more like the landscape of Mars with empty canals where mighty rivers and oceans once flourished. Far too little concern and therefore money and thus time is spent looking at the adverse consequences of future solutions to our critical energy problems of today.
Perhaps if those who developed oil as an energy source would have also viewed the consequences, they would have viewed other options much sooner. We are wiser now via our experiences with pollution etc yet we do not seem wise enough to view the consequences of our proposed solutions yet.
Any wise future solution will have to be in harmony with our Earth as a whole and thus (with the technology at hand today) would most probably incorporate a variety of natural sources of energy. To totally use anyone energy generation would most likely also have dire consequences.
If the people of the entire Earth used solar panels we would soon find that they would absorb heat that they convert to electricity and the Earth would cool. If we all used windmills we would find that the wind would be diminished and seeds would not be carried as far in the wind as they once were. Our weather and thus climate would change artificially.
If we all used geothermal energy by tapping our Earth's core we would find that our Earth's core would cool. Perhaps when we pump enough oil out we will find the Earth's rotation will begin to wobble if it has not already. It seems that our magnetic poles are even now shifting.
Some negative consequences can be predicted and then there are most always the unknown consequences that must be looked for to be spotted at their first sign of destruction and thus dealt with ASAP before they become critical. Out thinking must change before we poor all of our money and time into a popular solution of the day, that looks good today but will destroy our only Earth and thus us and our children tomorrow.
With our present technology and the lessons of our past mistakes, we should first spend more money looking for better solutions with manageable consequences as well as new technology. To meet our present day needs we can use a combination of sun, wind, and water energy that has almost zero pollution.
By far the most effective and immediate solution is for all of us to create our own energy whenever possible and to consume it wisely. If people as individuals are encouraged to be more self sufficient and conservative, then our world will become more self sufficient as a whole. This will at least buy us, our earth, more time to find the best solutions to our past critical problems.
I live on my sailboat with solar panels for electricity and a desalinator for drinking water while at sea. I ride my electric bike and charge its batteries with my solar panels Vs plugging into the grid. It is a simple and even fun and healthy lifestyle.
If we all shouldered our personal responsibilities to make this a better planet to pass on to our children Vs looking to any government to fix anything and or everything, we all might find that our world's problems and thus solutions start and end with each of us and thus is within our personal power to solve. We should and must demand that our governments press on, find the BEST solutions, and do the right thing but, we must ALL also do our part or we and our very own children will ALL continue to suffer the consequences of OUR bad choices and or selfish apathy.
What Say Ye?
As with most solutions, Hydrogen Power made by splitting the elements of water H2O, also creates new problems. Currently there is barely enough fresh drinking water on Earth for our six billion people. Not only third world countries suffer this problem but even San Diego California now has a program called “From the sewer to the sink,” where they reclaim sewer water for drinking.
If all of the energy needs for six billion people are addressed via splitting hydrogen from water, we will have to desalinate the oceans as a means of providing enough fresh water to split. Even more will be desalinated for drinking and agriculture as it will only mean building more and larger desalination plants.
When the hydrogen is burnt and converted into energy you will not get more than a small amount of water vapor (its byproduct) back into the atmosphere and thus our oceans. You do not get one gallon of water back after the energy is sucked out from one gallon of water H2O split and used for the fuel. If our oceans decrease by only a few inches, they will become more salty unless the salt is set aside in world wide landfills. Even so, it is a sure bet that plant and other life in our oceans will die as a direct result of massive desalination for hydrogen based energy.
Drawn to its conclusion, our Earth may look more like the landscape of Mars with empty canals where mighty rivers and oceans once flourished. Far too little concern and therefore money and thus time is spent looking at the adverse consequences of future solutions to our critical energy problems of today.
Perhaps if those who developed oil as an energy source would have also viewed the consequences, they would have viewed other options much sooner. We are wiser now via our experiences with pollution etc yet we do not seem wise enough to view the consequences of our proposed solutions yet.
Any wise future solution will have to be in harmony with our Earth as a whole and thus (with the technology at hand today) would most probably incorporate a variety of natural sources of energy. To totally use anyone energy generation would most likely also have dire consequences.
If the people of the entire Earth used solar panels we would soon find that they would absorb heat that they convert to electricity and the Earth would cool. If we all used windmills we would find that the wind would be diminished and seeds would not be carried as far in the wind as they once were. Our weather and thus climate would change artificially.
If we all used geothermal energy by tapping our Earth's core we would find that our Earth's core would cool. Perhaps when we pump enough oil out we will find the Earth's rotation will begin to wobble if it has not already. It seems that our magnetic poles are even now shifting.
Some negative consequences can be predicted and then there are most always the unknown consequences that must be looked for to be spotted at their first sign of destruction and thus dealt with ASAP before they become critical. Out thinking must change before we poor all of our money and time into a popular solution of the day, that looks good today but will destroy our only Earth and thus us and our children tomorrow.
With our present technology and the lessons of our past mistakes, we should first spend more money looking for better solutions with manageable consequences as well as new technology. To meet our present day needs we can use a combination of sun, wind, and water energy that has almost zero pollution.
By far the most effective and immediate solution is for all of us to create our own energy whenever possible and to consume it wisely. If people as individuals are encouraged to be more self sufficient and conservative, then our world will become more self sufficient as a whole. This will at least buy us, our earth, more time to find the best solutions to our past critical problems.
I live on my sailboat with solar panels for electricity and a desalinator for drinking water while at sea. I ride my electric bike and charge its batteries with my solar panels Vs plugging into the grid. It is a simple and even fun and healthy lifestyle.
If we all shouldered our personal responsibilities to make this a better planet to pass on to our children Vs looking to any government to fix anything and or everything, we all might find that our world's problems and thus solutions start and end with each of us and thus is within our personal power to solve. We should and must demand that our governments press on, find the BEST solutions, and do the right thing but, we must ALL also do our part or we and our very own children will ALL continue to suffer the consequences of OUR bad choices and or selfish apathy.
What Say Ye?