Rising gas prices have started the usual round of demands and desires for a change over to hydrogen powered cars, demands too often issued by individuals not well versed in the science behind hydrogen production, storage and use in motor vehicles.
Dr. Eric McFarland, Professor of Chemical Engineering at UCSB notes: "Hydrogen, is a manufactured chemical - not a natural resource." It doesn't occur all by itself in nature, it is bound to other elements and once freed, takes considerable effort to store and use efficiently.
... to propose hydrogen as a solution for our energy dependency would be, at the very least, “premature,” he said. “At present,” said McFarland, “there is no technology that would allow us to make and transport hydrogen as a transportation fuel that would be, economically, even close to competitive.”
Efforts in the direction of a hydrogen economy will move us closer to utilizing hydrogen in those situations where it works best and in identifying those areas where other solutions make better sense.
