Oil Companies must hate news like this

I've often said that if government gets out of the way, technology, (not legislation) will fix economic problems like out of control gas prices, and record profts from oil companies.

After a discusson about oil, gas, and the market forces in play with a friend on Saturday night, I came across this article. So often hydrogen is kinda thought of as a 'far-off' thing. Its actually very much a reality. Even if it doesn't replace petroleum fuel based engine powered vehicles totally, just having an alternative that would put a dent in demand could SHARPLY reduce gas costs and no longer would oil companies have the luxury of being able to charge what basically ammounts to 'whatever they want' for gas.



http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/nov05/370124.asp?source=tmj4


quotes from the article

Eggleston envisions motorcycle fuel being made from small gas reformers about the size of a shoebox. They could convert sunflower oil, soybeans, corn, sugarcane or other bio fuels into hydrogen gas.

The reformers would emit no more carbon dioxide than a plant's natural decomposition would release, adding to the bike's eco-friendly theme. Hydrogen also could come from petrochemical refineries where it now is burned off as a waste product.

"The current cost of filling up the bike's tank, about $4, could be reduced to 25 cents," Eggleston said.

Fuel-cell vehicles are considered by some to be the next big breakthrough in transportation technology. In such vehicles, a small chemical reactor converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, water and heat. The electricity drives a motor that powers the wheels.

There are so many sources of hydrogen, so many ways to produce hydrogen... it would be nearly impossible for ANY company to oligopolize the supply of hydrogen or its production.

In Wisconsin, companies such as Modine Manufacturing and Virent Energy are developing fuel-cell products.

Modine has 17 engineers working on its projects. The company already has played a key role in the development of prototype fuel-cell cars and buses, working with companies such as Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler.

Auto industry experts have predicted that fuel-cell-powered cars will be available for business fleets first - in the next couple of years - and to the general public in about eight years. Some have said fuel cells will overtake gasoline-powered cars by 2018.

ACTUAL cars will be on the road in the next couple of years. That's awesome! (even if it is just fleets) because like I said.. Its not important that hydrogen be able to completely replace petroleum based gas. Its just important that it provides ENOUGH of an alternative to put a dent in demand which will send shockwaves thru oil futures, the cost of oil futures will drop like a rock (who wants to hold onto crude oil futures when hydrogen is going to take a chunk out of it)

OPEC will be BEGGING us to buy their oil. The towel heads who sit there now in their OPEC board meetings and as a CARTELL agree to pump and ship less oil will be SCARED SHITLESS that in a few years we won't want their oil anymore. They'll SUDDENLY want it to be REAL cheap so we stop looking at hydrogen so hard.

17 Engineers is a LOT of staffing to devote to fuel-cell prototypes. (and that's just one company) That's proof positive that its a viable source of power. And Modine, working with Ford and Chrysler. That's what I was talking about friday when I said that the power of automobile manufacturers is a counterbalance against "big-oil"

And all of this WITHOUT the government having to fund it.

Chevron thinks that in many cases, it may be cheaper and more practical to produce hydrogen at the stations where it's pumped into vehicles than to deliver the fuel by tanker trucks.

This is HUGE... The fact that it can be produced on-site... at 10's of THOUSANDS of gas stations across the country! That makes it nearly impossible for any one company to monopolize production and distribution.



And being able to produce hydrogen on such a small scale. If people (oil companies, or gas companies) start abusing customers price-wise, starting up a hydrogen production facility would be EASY (relatively so). No harder then starting up a microbrewery for example.

Virent Energy Systems of Madison has developed a method to make hydrogen from the sugars in corn and other plants.

Virent Energy is building a prototype fuel-cell generator that could provide electricity for homes or businesses in rural areas, said Eric Apfelbach, Virent's chief executive.

The fact that you can make hydrogen from so many sources... and that hydrogen powered devices can be used to do everything from heating homes to powering vehicles.


This is exciting.

I feel like Oil companies are probably fucking us now because they know they are on the way out in 5-10 years. This is their hay-day. They are making hay while the sun shines, and they know the sun ain't gonna be shining for long.

FHL