Green Cars & Green Fuel Center » Alternative Fuels

Hydrogen Fuel Cells- A True Alternative to Gasoline?

Mon, 10 May 2010 03:08:22 +0000

By: Gregg- Camp
There is present and future fuel alternative that is certainly gaining more notoriety. Hydrogen fuel cells are a potentially great way to address two of growing energy concerns in America today, including those living in La Selva Beach homes. The reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and lessening our dependence on foreign petroleum resources is extremely important. Hydrogen can be produced from abundant and diverse domestic resources, and the fuel cells in production and development can provide a clean and efficient way to use this energy. Together they represent an extremely different approach to energy conversion and transportation.

FCV’s or fuel cell vehicles are propelled by electric motors. However, unlike battery electric vehicles, which gain their energy from an external source, FCVs create their own electricity. Just think, as you’re driving back to your La Selva Beach home, you’ll have both a clean fuel source, and the power you need to get the job done. The onboard fuel cells create electricity through a chemical process that uses hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air. The fuel is stored onboard in high pressure tanks. In addition, with the help of a “reformer” device, fuels such as natural gas, and methanol can be used after they have been converted to hydrogen gas. These vehicles are quiet, offer little emissions into the air besides water, and heat. In addition, their efficiency has been shown to be at least twice as comparable combustible vehicles.

In 1999, the members of the California Fuel Cell Partnership started to make progress towards creating and maintaining a commercial market for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. By 2008, a total of 250 fuel cell vehicles were driving down California roads, and refueling themselves at 25 stations scattered throughout the state. California is one of the first states to recognize hydrogen as an alternative fuel source, and subsequently began the regulation process to enable retail sales of the fuel. In July of 2008, members of CaFCP published a unifying vision for the expansion of hydrogen stations and fuel cell vehicles between now and 2017.

At this time, automakers project that thousands of fuel cell vehicles will be available for California consumers by 2012, and the earliest examples will undoubtedly be constructed using both private and governmental funding. With the expected increase in fuel cell vehicles on California roads, an estimated $90 million dollars could potentially be spent to create the necessary infrastructure by 2013.

In a conference at the SAE 2009 World Congress in Detroit Michigan, people from Nissan, Toyota, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will most likely be an important component of the nation’s transportation by 2050. The main reason for this delay is the fact that a new infrastructure must be created, or the old one needs to be drastically changed in order to incorporate hydrogen as a fuel. In addition, because of hydrogen’s volatile nature, safety is of great importance. Thankfully, state of the art materials and techniques have made the fuel cells some of the safest sources for power on the grid today.

Making the switch to alternatively fueled vehicles is just one way that you can make sure that you grow, and the environment is preserved. Making the right choice for you is dependant on a number of factors, including the availability of the fuel, performance of the vehicle, and your desired impact on the environment. Before making any decision, do the proper research, and chances are you’ll make the right one for you.

Gregg Camp is an experienced Santa Cruz Real Estate Broker. Visit La Selva Beach Homes to find yourself a great home by the beach.

Be Aware Of Alternative Energy Investments

Mon, 10 May 2010 02:28:41 +0000

By: Jimmy Spier

It is possible to have a portfolio which profitably (that’s the key word, is it not?) invests in alternative energy funds. “Green” energy production is expected to be a multi-billion (in today’s dollars) industry by 2013.

The most recently developed wind-turbine technologies have brought us wind-produced energy which is more cost efficient as well as more widespread. More state-of-the-art wind energy technologies are typically more market competitive with conventional energy technologies. The newer wind-power technologies don’t even kill birds like in days of old! Wind energy production is a growing technology, and companies engaged in it would make up an excellent part of a growth or aggressive growth portfolio.

Next to consider are solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, technologies. These are to be found implemented in pocket calculators, private property lights, US Coast Guard buoys, and other areas. More and more they find their way onto the roofs of housing and commercial buildings and building complexes. Cost is falling. Their energy efficiency (the ratio of the amount of work needed to cause their energy production versus the actual energy production) is steadily on the rise. As an example, the conversion efficiency of silicon cells has increased from a mere four percent in 1982 to over 20% for the latest technologies. Photovoltaic cells create absolute zero pollution as they are generating electrical power. However, photovoltaic cellls are not presently as cost effective as “utility produced” electricity. “PV” cells are not [capable at present for producing industrial-production amounts of electricity due to their present constraints on space. However, areas where photovoltaic cell arrays could be implemented are increasingly available. In sum, costs are going down while efficiency is rising for this alternative fuel technology.

Many alternative energy investment portfolio advisors are confident that alternative energies derived from currents, tidal movement, and temperature differentials are poised to become a new and predominant form of clean energy. The French are actually fairly advanced at hydro power generation, and numerous studies are being made in Scotland and the US along these sames lines. Some concerns center around the problems with the deterioration of metals in salt water, marine growth such as barnacles, and violent storms which have all been disruptions to energy production in the past. However, these problems for the most part seem to be cured through the use of different, better materials. Ocean-produced energy has a huge advantage because the timing of ocean currents and waves are well understood and reliable.

Investments in hydro-electric technology have grown in the last two decades. Hydro-electric power is clean; however, it’s also limited by geography. While already prominent as power generation, the large, older dams have had problems with disturbing marine life. Improvements have been made on those dams in order to protect marine life, but these improvements have been expensive. Consequently, more attention is now being paid to low-impact “run-of-the-river” hydro-power plants, which do not have these ecological problems.

The reality is, the energy future is green, and investors would do well to put their money out wisely, with that advice in their minds.

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How Do Hydrogen Fuel Systems Work

Sun, 09 May 2010 21:28:42 +0000

By: Daniel Millions

Alternative sources of fuel are of interest not only to high class research firms but also to the average consumer. Rising gas prices have forced everyone, save the extravagantly rich, to make sacrifices and find new ways to power their vehicles. The widespread desire to save on gas has led to the increased purchasing of hybrid and electric cars.

For those that do not have the ability to switch vehicles, improving current transportation’s efficiency is the only option left. To date, the most effective way to drastically increase gas mileage is to install a hydrogen fuel system, which employs only water to function.

Hydrogen is created through the electrolysis of water. Electricity is taken from the car battery and used as the catalyst to stimulate electrolysis. The hydrogen created burns much more cleanly than regular fuel and increases the efficiency of gasoline. Only about twenty percent of the energy released by burning gas goes in to moving a vehicle; the other eighty percent is lost to heat and other energy forms. A water system enables the engine to harness more usable power. When people think of alternative fuels, gasoline is never on the list. However, if the fuel could be made to work at nearly one hundred percent efficiency, there would be no oil crisis.

The benefits of installing a hydrogen fuel system in to your vehicle are numerous and significant. Improved gas mileage is the first and most obvious advantage. Helping the environment is vital as well, as a destroyed ecosystem is harmful to everything, including humans. Your engine will last a lot longer, as water is consistently rejuvenating to it. Minuscule amounts of water need to be used; in fact, you can use the same liter of water for months, as water contains thousands of times more energy than oil. Finally, one will notice a considerable decrease in noise and an increase in driving smoothness, which are signs of how excellent the water system really is.

Initial costs for constructing and installing a system vary, depending on whether you purchase a conversion kit and/or pay a mechanic to perform the installation for you. At the lowest level, conversions can run as low as one hundred and fifty dollars. Of course, the fuel for the system, water, does not cost any money at all. Installation is safe and does not void a vehicle’s warranty, and a water fuel system can be removed at any time for any reason. One usually saves more than they spent after only a few months of water fuel utilization.

Like with any innovation, there are critics of using water for fuel. Some say that the process violates the laws of physics; that because energy in equals energy out, there is no way consuming water could yield any positive results. Recall that the ultimate purpose of a water system is to increase the efficiency of gasoline. Water cannot be used for fuel alone; it needs to be paired with gasoline.

In any case, it is clear that hydrogen fuel systems are effective, as hundreds of thousands of people have already invested in conversion kits. In fact, it is predicted that within the next decade, a majority of vehicles will come standard with some kind of water fuel system, thus easing many countries dependence on oil.

Could Hydrogen Fuel replace the need for gas and oil?

Researching Fuel Cells – New Facts Revealed

Sun, 09 May 2010 20:42:46 +0000

By: Abhishek Agarwal

Since the millenium, we have all been concerned about the “green” movement. One move is the new technologies that are coming out with the resarch into fuel cells, which is all about alternative fuels to power our car. Fuel cells produce an electric current – they are mechanical devices using hydrogen or hydrogen-containing fuel like methane. Fuel cells whilst being clean and quiet, they are highly efficient as sources of electricity. Extensive research by scientists shows much promise on some new fuel cells, which are smaller. The alternative fuel industry would benefit greatly from these.

President Bush announced the Hydrogen Fuel Initiave (HFI) program in 2003, as part of his State of the Union Address. Fully suported by legislation of the Energy Policy Act 2005 (EPACT 2005) and the Advanced Energy Initiative 2006 the aims are to develop fuel cell, hydrogen and infrastructure technologies in order to make the production of fuel-cell vehicles much more cost-effective and practical by the year 2020. Over one billion dollars has been dedicated by the United States towards the development and research into fuel cells up to now.

Inside a battery is where all of its chemicals are stored, which are converted into electricity. Once a battery loses all its power it becomes ‘dead’ so you either dispose of it, or if it is rechargeable, you put it in a charger to be powered up again. A fuel cell, however, never goes dead with a continuous flow of chemicals going into it, the electricity can flow out endlessly. Currently fuel cells use the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen. With the ongoing research into fuel cells, the focus is on making the fuel cells smaller and much more efficient. The production of alternative fuel vehicles is on the increase, so there is a demand for better energy sources, which will be seen in the future as information and technology advances. The first fuel cells that came out were large in size and unwieldy, but today are getting smaller and much more adaptable for the alternative fuel vehicle.

The fuel cell was introcuced to primarily reduce the amount of pollution. We are all aiming to do our best for the environment by becoming ‘greener’. By the comparisons into a fuel cell-powered car against a car powered by petrol or diesel and a car powered by battery, fuel cells can be seen to be more efficient and environmentally for motorists and their vehicles. Scientists are clearly devoted into spending as much time on research possible to bring about cleaner running, smaller sized engines.

Extensive fuel cell research is doing its part to reduce greenhouse gases into the air. A lot of funding is needed for research into fuel cells so that the future will see the majority of vehicles powered in this way, and less of the gas powered ones of today. Luckily, the government are now geared towards helping the research move more quickly, so the future of fuel cell powered cars could be nearer than we think!

Abhishek is an avid Environmentalist and he has got some great Alternative Fuel Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 70 Pages Ebook, “Energy Conservation And Alternative Fuel” from his website http://www.Wonder-Homes.com/643/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

Alternative Fuel: the Ideal

Sun, 09 May 2010 19:52:31 +0000

By: John Lux

Whether or not it is done deliberately, it seems as though the huge swings in oil prices encourages us to put large amounts of money into alternative energy when the price of oil is up, only to see all these ventures fail when the price of oil swings down and makes them uneconomic.

We saw this happen in 1986 when the price sank to $10 per barrel and ethanol refineries were being given away by state governments that had taken them for unpaid taxes. We are seeing this now as the price plummeted from $150 to $35 in only a few months.

Thus, the ideal energy source must have an equivalent price below the lowest possible price of oil. According to the Financial Times, the Mideast price of oil is about $30 per barrel.

How do the alterative energy sources compare? Coal to liquids and oil shale have a cost equal to $100 per barrel of oil. Oil sands maybe $85. US ethanol costs about $65.Onshore wind costs $75.

We have a massive investment in fossil fuel infrastructure. Our challenge now is to convert this infrastructure to a new fuel. According to the IEA, about 80% of our energy base is fossil fuel. Years would be needed to convert our electric power plants from coal to anything different. To switch from oil, we have to change the production system from oil wells and refineries to something else, and change over countless gas stations and vehicles. Even if we have the right technology, do we have enough money?

We need an energy system with minimal capital investment in production that can be implemented by inexpensively adapting conventional delivery systems and engines ? diesel, gasoline, and gas turbines.

Finally, even if we have the right system, do we have the time? How many years will be needed to change a large amount of our energy mix to a new system? Predictions are that by 2030, over 20 years from now, fossil fuels still will be two-thirds of the mix. It seems that we do not anticipate a real solution to fossil fuels.

So the ideal alternative fuel solution, the answer to our energy problems would have at least these characteristics: (1) cheap variable cost, below $30 per barrel equivalent of oil, (2) predictable cost, (3) low capital cost for production facilities and delivery systems and other infrastructure, (4) provide a fuel that can be used in existing infrastructure, (5) and a fuel that can with be implemented rapidly implemented at a low cost. This would be the ideal alternative energy, the ideal alternative fuel, the real answer to our energy problems.

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