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The Economy of the Future
From the beginning of recorded time, mankind has depended on external sources of energy for survival. The caveman harvested the energy of plant matter through fire. Many of the earliest civilizations used the energy in the muscles of domesticated animals to transport goods and perform work. Medieval man learned to make the first windmills. During the industrial revolution, we moved to a fossil-fuel based economy, using coal first and then cleaner liquid fuels found in crude oil. These fuels presented advantages over their predecessors. However, our modern economy faces an additional challenge: within the next century, the world's supply of our chosen energy source and currency will become increasing more difficult to find and extract. As a result, we are now in the search for a substitute source and storage of energy in order to maintain our lifestyle.
What qualities make a good substitute for fossil fuel?
The basic qualification for any energy carrier is to produce energy when needed. However, the demands of our modern economy are much more stringent and require that the ideal substitute possess the following qualities:
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transportable
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easily obtainable
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renewable
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safe
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affordable
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environmental compatible
Fossil fuels are easily obtainable, distributable, transportable, safe and affordable, but they lack renewability and environmental compatibility. Moreover, in future years, obtainability and affordability of fossil fuels are likely to deteriorate.
The Hydrogen Economy
"I believe that water will one day be employed as fuel, that hydrogen and oxygen which constitute it, used singly or together, will furnish an inexhaustible source of heat and light, of an intensity of which coal is not capable. I believe then that when the deposits of coal are exhausted, we shall heat and warm ourselves with water. Water will be the coal of the future."
Jules Vernes (1870) "L´île mystérieuse"
The Hydrogen Economy is a phrase familiar to many politicians, scientists, and philosophers that refers to the the ultimate frontier in energy supply and storage. Compared to our Fossil Fuel Economy, which is considered to be limited, dirty, monopolistic, and costly, the Hydrogen Economy is supposed to be renewable, clean, democratic, and cheap.
While the goal of this website is not to curb the enthusiasm for hydrogen, we do wish to break through the hype and promote a more realistic picture of the challenges, benefits, and drawbacks of establishing a Hydrogen Economy. This new economy will use hydrogen gas as an energy currency. We will examine the production of hydrogen from renewable and non-renewable resources, the storage and infrastructure requirements of a hydrogen based economy, the use of hydrogen in power plants, cars, and small electronics, the benefits and possible damage to the atmosphere hydrogen could cause, and the enthusiasm shown by governments around the world for hydrogen technologies.
Page made by:
Lauren Elmegreen, Brian Henn, Kristina Maletz, Kyle Meng, and Imani Orgill
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