A little thought of mine...
As I've been driving 'round the country on my way back home, a small idea popped into my head. There are two things we in the US need the most: energy and water. So, here is my thought to get a little bit of both.
First, build a giant pipeline from the coast up into the highlands of middle America. At the coast end of the pipe build a giant electrolyzer plant that utilizes the latest in cobalt catalysts and that radio frequency trick to split the water as efficiently as possible.
Pump the H2 into the pipe. The natural buoyancy of the H2 will propel it up the pipe to the higher elevations of the American Heartland. The free increase in potential energy for the H2 should be more than enough to off-set the energy costs of the H2 generation at the electrolyzer. Remember, H2 is an energy *currency* not an energy source. So, I guess, the major potential flaw in the plan is if H2 will not go uphill if you stick it in a pipe over a few thousand miles.
At the opposite end of the pipe, burn the H2 to generate heat for a stirling engine, thermionic generator, steam turbine ('cause you will be creating hot steam as a combustion by-product), etc. etc. Every joule of energy that can be captured, capture it. Capture the water created and use it to create a large reservoir and an artificial river system. Tap the potential energy of the water on the way down to drive hydroelectric power plants. All energy derived can be used for the electrolysis process at the front end of the pipe, extra energy can be sold and fed into the national grid.
With this thought, not only have we created a hydrogen distribution system, thus solving the chicken-egg problem for the "hydrogen economy", we're bringing much needed water into the arid areas that can be developed for increased agricultural usage.
I do realize this plan would be heinously expensive up-front. However, all of the technologies listed are available and off-the-shelf. There is no fundamental breakthrough that is required. Also, there are several revenue streams generated: power, hydrogen and water, all of which are necessary commodities that can only increase in value over time as fossil fuels become more scarce. The environmental impacts will be negligible. In fact, artificial rivers and reservoirs can serve as important stops for migratory birds and the creation of new fish hatcheries and recreation areas. All of which, incidentally, can be used to increase the revenue stream (i.e., charge for access to the reservoirs, campgrounds, etc.).
So, yeah, just a thought of mine.
Today we went to Devil's tower national monument and ended up in Wall, SD. Devil's tower is every bit as cool as I had imagined it would be. It's HUGE. You cannot help but feeling very, well, present, when you're there. I managed to drag Joemamma on the 1.3 mile loop trail around the mountain. It was a nice little hike and the views were totally worth it.
First, build a giant pipeline from the coast up into the highlands of middle America. At the coast end of the pipe build a giant electrolyzer plant that utilizes the latest in cobalt catalysts and that radio frequency trick to split the water as efficiently as possible.
Pump the H2 into the pipe. The natural buoyancy of the H2 will propel it up the pipe to the higher elevations of the American Heartland. The free increase in potential energy for the H2 should be more than enough to off-set the energy costs of the H2 generation at the electrolyzer. Remember, H2 is an energy *currency* not an energy source. So, I guess, the major potential flaw in the plan is if H2 will not go uphill if you stick it in a pipe over a few thousand miles.
At the opposite end of the pipe, burn the H2 to generate heat for a stirling engine, thermionic generator, steam turbine ('cause you will be creating hot steam as a combustion by-product), etc. etc. Every joule of energy that can be captured, capture it. Capture the water created and use it to create a large reservoir and an artificial river system. Tap the potential energy of the water on the way down to drive hydroelectric power plants. All energy derived can be used for the electrolysis process at the front end of the pipe, extra energy can be sold and fed into the national grid.
With this thought, not only have we created a hydrogen distribution system, thus solving the chicken-egg problem for the "hydrogen economy", we're bringing much needed water into the arid areas that can be developed for increased agricultural usage.
I do realize this plan would be heinously expensive up-front. However, all of the technologies listed are available and off-the-shelf. There is no fundamental breakthrough that is required. Also, there are several revenue streams generated: power, hydrogen and water, all of which are necessary commodities that can only increase in value over time as fossil fuels become more scarce. The environmental impacts will be negligible. In fact, artificial rivers and reservoirs can serve as important stops for migratory birds and the creation of new fish hatcheries and recreation areas. All of which, incidentally, can be used to increase the revenue stream (i.e., charge for access to the reservoirs, campgrounds, etc.).
So, yeah, just a thought of mine.
Today we went to Devil's tower national monument and ended up in Wall, SD. Devil's tower is every bit as cool as I had imagined it would be. It's HUGE. You cannot help but feeling very, well, present, when you're there. I managed to drag Joemamma on the 1.3 mile loop trail around the mountain. It was a nice little hike and the views were totally worth it.