Cameron Diaz To Take BMW’s Hydrogen 7 To Oscars

Ecorazzi, Feb. 24, 2008:

As expected, some celebrities are opting to avoid Chevy’s fleet of fuel-friendly SUVs in favor of their own green transportation alternatives. One such gal is actress Cameron Diaz, who has decided to hitch a ride to the red carpet in BMW’s Hydrogen 7 sedan. This is the same car that’s currently being tested by the likes of Jay Leno, Will Ferrell, Jeremy Piven, and Edward Norton for everyday use. We also spied Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arriving to the premiere of Ocean’s 13 last year in the H7. Here’s what ABG has to say about this liquid-hydrogen powered vehicle:

“The H7 is a equipped with a dual fuel system that allows the V-12 engine to run on either gasoline or liquified hydrogen. Like other hydrogen-fueled internal combustion vehicles the H7 emits pretty much only water (and some trace amounts of NOx) when it’s running on hydrogen. BMW’s decision to follow the internal combustion path allows them to utilize their engine expertise, but the result is far less efficient than a fuel cell. Using liquid hydrogen also allows them to carry more hydrogen on board, but the insulated storage tank is much larger and heavier and the hydrogen boils off and must be vented to atmosphere.”

As with any vehicle taking advantage of hydrogen as a fuel source, there are still many problems yet to solve — the least of which is how to create hydrogen in a clean, energy-efficient manner. For more on the H7, check out BMW’s official site.

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Solar cell directly splits water for hydrogen

Physorg.com reports:

Penn State researchers have a proof-of-concept device that can split water and produce recoverable hydrogen.

"This is a proof-of-concept system that is very inefficient. But ultimately, catalytic systems with 10 to 15 percent solar conversion efficiency might be achievable," says Thomas E. Mallouk, the DuPont Professor of Materials Chemistry and Physics. "If this could be realized, water photolysis would provide a clean source of hydrogen fuel from water and sunlight."

Mallouk and W. Justin Youngblood, postdoctoral fellow in chemistry, together with collaborators at Arizona State University, developed a catalyst system that, combined with a dye, can mimic the electron transfer and water oxidation processes that occur in plants during photosynthesis. They reported the results of their experiments at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science today in Boston.

The water splitting requires 1.23 volts, and the current experimental configuration cannot quite achieve that level so the researchers add about 0.3 volts from an outside source. Their current system achieves an efficiency of about 0.3 percent.

"Nature is only 1 to 3 percent efficient with photosynthesis," says Mallouk. "Which is why you can not expect the clippings from your lawn to power your house and your car. We would like not to have to use all the land area that is used for agriculture to get the energy we need from solar cells."

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Google Talks - Dr. Robert Bussard on IEC fusion

The late Dr. Robert Bussard (died October 2007), former Assistant Director of the AEC and founder of Energy Matter Conversion Corporation (EMC2), spent 17 years perfecting inertial electrostatic confinement, a fusion process that converts hydrogen and boron directly into electricity producing helium as the only waste product. Most of this work was funded by the Department of Defense, the details of which have been under seal... until now.

Dr. Bussard discusses his recent results and details of this potentially world-altering technology, whose conception dates back as far as 1924, and even includes a reactor design by Philo T. Farnsworth.

Can a 100 MW fusion reactor be built for less than Google's annual electricity bill? Come see what's possible when you think outside the thermonuclear box and ignore the herd.

His presentation is on Google Talks here.

Scientists Would Turn Greenhouse Gas Into Gasoline

New York Times February 19, 2008

Scientists F. Jeffrey Martin and William L. Kubic Jr. of Los Alamos National Laboratory are proposing a concept, which they have patriotically named Green Freedom, for removing carbon dioxide from the air and turning it back into gasoline.

The idea is simple. Air would be blown over a liquid solution of potassium carbonate, which would absorb the carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide would then be extracted and subjected to chemical reactions that would turn it into fuel: methanol, gasoline or jet fuel.

Although they have not yet built a synthetic fuel factory, or even a small prototype, the scientists say it is all based on existing technology.

“Everything in the concept has been built, is operating or has a close cousin that is operating,” Dr. Martin said.

There is, however, a major caveat that explains why no one has built a carbon-dioxide-to-gasoline factory: it requires a great deal of energy. To produce gasoline on a commercial scale — say, 750,000 gallons a day — would require a dedicated power plant, preferably a nuclear one, the scientists say.

According to their analysis, their concept, which would cost about $5 billion to build, could produce gasoline at an operating cost of $1.40 a gallon and would turn economically viable when the price at the pump hits $4.60 a gallon, taking into account construction costs and other expenses in getting the gas to the consumer. With some additional technological advances, the break-even price would drop to $3.40 a gallon, they said.

The same chemical processes could also be powered by solar panels, for instance, but the economics would become far less favorable.

Dr. Martin and Dr. Kubic will present their Green Freedom concept on Wednesday at the Alternative Energy Now conference in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. They plan a simple demonstration within a year and a larger prototype within a couple of years after that.

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