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Was: Moss/Lichen on roof, now we are into pollution.
"Jaques wrote in message from The Natural Philosopher contains these words: Bob Hobden wrote: Fact is... All the major manufacturers and significant others are working flat out on Fuel Cell engines which produce no pollution except steam. Wrong. The hydrogen has to be made. An innefficent process that burns as much, if not more, fossil fuel than any other form of transport. Not quite true, fuel cells don't burn anything and Hydrogen can be obtained from the usual sources, LPG, Petrol, Natural Gas, methane, methanol etc by the use of a reformer which is significantly more efficient and less polluting than when the same fuel is burnt. Better to use batteries, and then whilst the electricity generation is still an issue, as with hydrogen, at least there is no need to build a huge new infrasturcture of hydrogen supply and handling equipment. And just how do you think electricity to charge the batteries is produced? With a loss approaching 30% at every stage: thermal value of fuel for power station to power delivered at charger (taking in power loss in transmission lines), charging the accumulator, discharging the accumulator all taken into account, the net result is a great deal more pollution to propel your so-called clean electric vehicle. Electricity produced by/from Fuel Cells (probably the Molten Carbonate type) which will significantly improve the efficiency of fossil fuel Power Stations. Some cells are already in use for small scale static power stations. Check out http://www.crest.org/articles/static...008081206.html for lots of Info on Fuel Cells. A car that will do 300 miles between an overnigh charge of 9-10 hours at 20 Amps is technically feaisble and hads been demonstrated. Got about 600bhp as well, and under 1.5 tons weight. And? Meanwhile they continue to develop even cleaner reciprocating engines. The Hydrogen to run Fuel Cells can be produced using sunlight eventually, to split water, so then we will be using the energy current account and not even extra heat will be produced above that the sun provides. I doubt that it can in any real quantity. The energy per unit area falling on teh earh is probably best used to make e.g. biomass, which is about teh most efficient process we have available. I understand it would take a battery of solar cells the size of 25% of the UK to power the whole world from sunlight, especially in a desert area with high sunlight levels. Such electricity could be used directly in vehicles with normal batteries or to produce Hydrogen from water to power fuel cells ( which are batteries too). Much more efficient to burn the hydrogen in a reciprocating (or rotary) engine than to convert it through a fuel cell to run an electric motor, though electrically propelled vehicles do have the potential to convert the slowing down process back into usable power. Totally wrong, and ever heard of regenerative braking, had it on coaches for years and there are other more recent developments in this area relating to normal cars too. However the real simple answer that dare not speak its name, is 'why the **** do we need to go anywhere at all' and the answer is, mostly we don't. Lets face it most of what we do could be done in front of a console from home, if we had to. Unlike you I don't want to spend my life in a prison, even a very nice one. And I suppose the goods we need will be delivered through the telephone wires too? When I go shopping I visit a number of outlets. I can see what I want to buy, and reject what had interested me from its description. I generally share a car with a friend's family anyway, doubling the efficiency of a trip. Well, since he has a family, more than doubling it. Sorry, your dream will never catch on. That's not a dream it's a nightmare. -- Regards Bob Use a useful Screen Saver... http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/ and find intelligent life amongst the stars 359 data units completed. |
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