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Across
Frontiers - 2005 Edition
Future
of the World
Tomorrow’s
Energy - Hydrogen, Fuel Cells....
Foreword
Senator Tom Harkin
When I was born, in 1933, there were 2 billion people on the
earth. When I turned 60, there were 6 billion. When my daughter
turns 60, there will be 9 billion. Many of those people will
want heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.
They will want to use refrigerators, radios, televisions,
and cars.
The question is not whether nations like China and India will
develop or whether they will consume more energy than they
do now. They will and they should. They have a right to seek
a better life just as we deed.
The question is: What kind of world will we create? If we
continue to base our economics on coal and oil, we will create
a world with toxic air, filthy water, and debilitating diseases.
Global warming will likely bring droughts and hurricanes tropical
diseases in the North, and widespread coastal flooding.
There is an alternative. We can replace coal and oil with
clean, renewable energy sources that can generate electricity,
heat buildings, and power cars.
Renewable energy sources are abundant throughout the world.
India is flooded with sunlight, and China’s current electricity
consumption could be powered by the wind in inner Mongolia.
In the United States, the Midwest is something called the
Saudi Arabia of wind.
However, we must remember that solar, wind, and most other
renewable energy sources are intermittent and regional. They
can only become major power source if we find a way to store
and transport their energy efficiently.
Hydrogen can make the renewable vision real by storing renewable
energy and making it available where and when it is needed.
Hydrogen, the simplest molecule, is non-toxic and can be made
from plain water using electricity from renewable sources.
Used in Fuel cells, hydrogen generates electricity and emits
only water vapor. And cars run on hydrogen fuel cells are
2 to 3 times more efficient than gasoline engines. Fuel cells
can be made in any size to fit every—thing from pocket-held
devices to large power plants. They are perfect for a dispersed
and robust energy infrastructure.
The book “ Tomorrow’s Energy - Hydrogen, Fuel Cells,
and the Prospects for a Cleaner Planet” is the culmination
of Peter Hoffmann’s work over the past three decades
to chronicle the progress of hydrogen energy from a vision
to a niche market to its position today on the brink of full
commercialization. he describes the various ways hydrogen
can be made, stored, and used, and offers insightful analyses
of the remaini9ng technical and economic obstacles to the
widespread use of hydrogen.
Throughout my career in the Sena, I have worked to promote
the development of a hydrogen economy. I’m glad today
I’ve seen tremendous progress. Today there are hydrogen
fueling stations and fuel cell buses scattared in cities around
the world. Daimler Chrysler intends to sell fuel cell cars
commercially by 2004, with other automakers close behind.
To First National Bank of Omaha is using fuel cells to provide
secure power fot its credit card service operations. And,
recently, the New York City Police Department installed a
fuel cell to power its Central Park Police Station because
it was cheaper than extending power lines.
Hoffmann’s vas knowledge and insight on hydrogen will
be an invaluable tool for continuing these efforts, and an
important resource for anyone who cares about our environment.
After reading this book, one can see the dream of a hydrogen-based
economy becoming reality. I am confident that I will one day
walk from my hydrogen-heated office through clean air to my
hydrogen fuel cell car. And when I do, I will be carrying
this book.
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