L. Sprague DeCamp, in his book The Ancient Engineers, pointed out that all societies in history did what they were technologically capable of doing. The ancient Egyptians had the lever and the roller and built the pyramids. The secret to the Roman Empire was cement. They could build buildings and bridges and roads and aqueducts that withstood the ravages of time because the rocks were held together by cement. Today the key is efficient hydrogen storage. At NIST a molecular model shows that carbon Bucky tubes can be topped with titanium atoms, each of which can reversibly attract hydrogen atoms. Eight percent by weight. At McGill University, lithium hydrides with nine percent by weight have been proven. This is sufficient to put enough hydrogen in a regular vehicle to power it 300 miles. Once proven we can get on with hydrogen cars!
1. Greetings and Introductions: Chapter President, John Gotthold, greets all attendees and asks each attendee to state their name and a short synopsis of their background and what they hope to learn by attending the meeting. 10 minutes.
2. Technology update: Patent 5,000,000, granted to a Florida professor , for bioengineered bugs that can break down any waste biomass and produce ethanol at high efficiency. The prospect is that half of all currently required transportation fuel can be produced as home grown ethanol. The ARMY is moving to flexible solar cells for soldiers in the field, to lighten their battery load. China is moving rapidly ahead to wind power. Home hydrogen system design intro!
3. Transportation: Now over 100 hydrogen refueling stations in use around the world. Nissan ready to lease fuel cell vehicles to business by 2007. Honda and Toyota is battle to be first.
4. Hydrogen production: Cost of wind power electricity approaches that of coal fired plants. NREL says solar energy payback, now at four years will drop to two years with new technology coming on the market and to one year by 2015.
5. Hydrogen Highway: Canada is now planning its second hydrogen highway. The state of Florida joins the list of states proposing hydrogen highways.
6. Global Warming: Gulf stream faltering - Europe headed for a new ice age! Proof!!
7. Video: Back to the future! - Harry Braun - The Solar Hydrogen Economy. 40 minutes.
