Today there are two well-established technologies in our society that, if combined, could bring about 100% emission-free transportation within the next decade. The synergy of nuclear energy and hydrogen fuel cell power has potential to replace gasoline and diesel forever and catapult America into the forefront of game-changing innovation for the next century. Perhaps some will stop reading here, having dismissed nuclear technology as dirty and dangerous and hydrogen as too expensive and dangerous. I encourage you to read on through this series of posts with an open mind. The facts will reveal a world-changing opportunity right at our doorstep.
When the combination of parts produces something that is better than the sum of what each could do individually, the phenomenon is known as synergy. Wheat and yeast combine to make light, fluffy, moist bread. Families can raise children capable of greater achievements than the parents. In business, the word synergy is often used to describe what happens when a group of people coalesce into a team that produces something revolutionary. For example, the early '80s team at Apple that produced the Macintosh computer is studied by college students as an example of great synergy.
Game changing synergy - here's how it works: Hydrogen would be produced from water by a nuclear power plant through one of two processes. The hydrogen would then be transported via similar methods currently used for delivering methane (natural gas) and gasoline. Pipelines and tanker trucks would bring the hydrogen to filling stations were it would go into hydrogen fuel cell vehicles such as the Honda FCX Clarity. As Hydrogen becomes more readily available, fuel cell vehicles would come to replace conventional vehicles in both consumer and commercial sectors.
A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle uses hydrogen to produce electricity, which is fed to motors that produce horsepower and torque in the same manner as battery powered car motors. Unlike a battery powered car, however, a fuel cell car is not range limited and can be refueled quickly over and over again.
The synergy of nuclear and fuel cell technologies working together can fuel all of our transportation needs while producing only two waste products: The nuclear power plant would produce waste that is densely packed, reusable, and emits nothing into the environment, while the fuel cell vehicles that use the hydrogen would emit nothing but heat and 100% pure water.
This is the only technologically and economically viable option that is available to us now or in the next 50 years that has any hope of completely replacing fossil fuels. Over the next few weeks I will post a few short papers proving that this is true. It is time for those of us who are environmentally conscious to wake up and realize that the long-sought goal of 100% clean energy is at hand now.
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