X-Message-Number: 24764
From: "Basie" <>
Subject: Why there will never be many hydrogen cars
Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 14:20:50 -0400

But what the researchers point out is not widely appreciated is that
hydrogen is not a source of energy - it is a carrier of energy - and the
hydrogen has to be made, transported and stored using huge amounts of
renewables-based electricity. In their paper the University of Warwick
researchers have calculated what the power costs would be to run all of
Britain's road transport, in a truly green way, with hydrogen.

Their answer is disturbing. They found that it would require approximately
100,000 new wind turbines. If sited off-shore, this would mean an
approximately 10-kilometre-deep strip of wind turbines encircling the entire
coastline of the British Isles. If sited on-shore, the area covered by wind
turbines would be the size of Wales.

They then looked at the alternative of using nuclear power. Although that
leads to other long run concerns (particularly how to deal with radioactive
waste), nuclear power stations could in principle provide the necessary
green electricity to produce the hydrogen to fuel our transport needs.
However again the researchers found the number required is striking. Their
calculations conclude that 100 nuclear power stations would be needed to
fulfill this role.

Reference will be provided on request

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