Semantic Traveller: Washington, D.C. GM HydroGen Test Drive

While in Washington, D.C. three weeks ago, an interesting opportunity approached me. General Motors was giving test drives of their HydroGen prototype vehicle, which runs on compressed hydrogen gas. The fuel cell powered auto is a bit smaller than the average sedan, comparable in size to a Prius, but higher off the ground with more headroom and larger windows. There are no mechanical components of the vehicle besides the front and rear axles. There is no drive shaft. There is no shifting assembly. The stearing wheel is not physically connected to the front wheels, lacking tie-rods and a pitman arm. Everything in the vehicle is controlled electronically. There are "forward," "reverse," and "park" buttons located on the center console between the two front bucket seats. The "gas" and "brake" are still in the form of pedals on the floor, however.

Book Review: American Prometheus

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer is both a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography and an essential read for anyone interested in the politics of nuclear energy and warfare both historically and today. The book, written by Kai Bird and Tufts University’s own Martin J. Sherwin, details Oppenheimer's life from his birth in New York City in 1904 to his death of throat cancer in 1967. The story is beautifully told and provides great insight into Oppenheimer's art, work, and politics. Perhaps more importantly, American Prometheus illuminates the origins of many of the world's current conflicts. What has been called the only "truly comprehensive" biography of the father of the atomic bomb is well worth the read.

Semantic Traveller: Seabrook Nuclear Station

The debate for nuclear power in the United States has been an ever-inflamed issue since the Three Mile Island incident in 1979 at the plant's Unit 2 reactor. Since then, no new nuclear power generating stations have been built in the U.S. leaving us behind countries like France, who produce close to 90% of their power from nuclear energy. The American public has been pumped with anti-nuclear stigma for thirty years and is extremely reluctant in accepting nuclear technology of any type. The public idea of nuclear power associates a mushroom cloud to the technology. The idea can't be farther from the truth. The only "explosion" (if you even can call it that) that can occur is a steam flash event, or the effect of a steam-pipe leak within the reactor containment dome. The superheated steam rapidly expands once hitting ambient air temperatures within the reactor dome. The dome is specifically designed to contain this swift air expansion. The dome has near five-foot-thick, concrete walls reinforced with steel rods that form a woven steel grid. These steel woven "baskets" build on top of one another within the poured concrete. The result is a containment dome that can withstand never-before-seen tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, nuclear blasts, and specifically, direct impacts of military aircraft or missiles.

Zero to 60 in Four Soybeans…

CBS reports that a group of 5 former dropouts have built a soybean-fueled car that goes from zero to sixty in 4 seconds; pretty damn impressive.

They also speculate on why nobody has managed this feat yet:

“We made this work,” says Hauger. “We’re not geniuses. So why aren’t they doing it?”

Kosi thinks he knows why. The answer, he says, is the big oil companies.

“They’re making billions upon billions of dollars,” he says. “And when this car sells, that’ll go down — to low billions upon billions.”

Is Bush Going Green?

Extreme Liberals will argue “NO!” and Green Conservatives are putting all their hopes behind the question: “Is President Bush going green?” There is a trend developing in the right wing; more and more self-proclaimed Conservatives are personally experimenting with the ideas of sustainability and “green” infrastructure. Arnold Schwartznegger and George Pataki, governors of California and New York (both Republicans), are putting tax dollars where their mouth is; they are dedicating more and more of their budgets to renewable energy initiatives and development. California is planning the United States’ first Hydrogen Highway and New York is pushing to become the center for Hydrogen Fuel research at its multiple General Motors research facilities.

Efficiency of Solar Cell Soon to Rise

The idea of creating a “photon antenna” (a previously discovered technology that is being studied with renewed vigor) through nano technology that works somewhat like a coaxial cable, but for the attraction of light photons is currently being studied at both Penn State University and Boston College. The technology is gaining ground, and is being studied by numerous research organizations. Instead of a panel absorbing light passively (absorbing only the light that hits it directly), these photon antennas will attract light and absorb them quickly, much faster than current solar panels. This idea, when commercially viable, will increase the efficiency of solar cells by 300-400%, an amazing advance in this technology. One of the main barriers of solar energy is its somewhat low efficiency. If solar energy can become competative to other types of energy, efficiency-wise, then it will gain a much larger stake in world energy production. Penn State is also creating a solar cell that can turn water into hydrogen and oxygen directly from sunlight. This is another breakthrough in solar energy and may help fuel the future hydrogen economy. Pictured above, these so called carbon “nanotubes” absorb light at a much higher efficiency than current photovoltaic technologies.

Top 3 Ways to Prepare for the Bird Flu

Talk of the bird flu seems to be heating up lately; there’s even a whole blog dedicated to H5N1. After reflecting on the media blitz, I found myself wondering what, if anything, citizens can do to prepare for the bird flu. What follows is a list of the top suggestions that seem to be circulating.

1. Dietitians recommend a combination of herbs and spices, including ginger, onion, garlic, and horseradish, that are powerfully antiviral. A new product containing those ingredients that is specifically marketed for use against the avian flu can be found here.

2. The United States government has released a list of ways to “hold your own against colds and the flu.”

3. Christian Scientists recommend praying for safety from the coming pandemic.

Honestly, given the complete lack of practical advice, I can only conclude we might have a rather large problem on our hands.

Mazda Jumps Onto Hydrogen Bandwagon!

Mazda plans to begin leasing a dual engine vehicle. The car can be switched to run on hydrogen or gasoline at the push of a button. I’m getting one…hardcore! Well, if I lived in Japan. Hopefully it will come here soon. Article is here: CNN.com

Shell Hydrogen?

Shell Oil Group created the branch organization, Shell Hydrogen, in 1999 to realize its wish to “play a leading role and champion the realisation of a hydrogen-based economy.” Shell Hydrogen’s goal is to bring hydrogen into the retail and consumer markets as a common fuel. The company predicts a “global hydrogen economy as a new [energy infrastructure] in which hydrogen represents an important component of the portfolio of energy sources and fuels, and as a realistic alternative to the world’s present wide-scale use of hydrocarbon fuels.” Shell Hydrogen has partnered with General Motors Fuel Cell Vehicles in order to make these ideas a reality. Shell hopes to build a “Hydrogen Highway” between Washington D.C. and New York within the next decade, dotting the route between the two cities with hydrogen fueling stations, that hopefully, consumers will use once hydrogen vehicles are commercially available. Already, a Shell Hydrogen Fueling Station exists in the River Terrace area of Washington D.C. GM has supplied numerous hydrogen-run vehicles to the government and organizations located in the area. Other motor vehicle companies have built hydrogen fuel vehicles that also use the station as their main fueling point. It has recently been announced that a small town, Greenburgh, in Westchester County in New York will be receiving a Shell Hydrogen Fueling Station by this summer. GM will donate 5 hydrogen fuel vehicles to the town’s local government. Within the next five years, hydrogen stations will be popping up throughout the country, awaiting the day that the first consumer fuel cell vehicle rolls off the assembly line…

So Your Exhaust Smells Like French Fries?

If anyone has a diesel-run car or truck and wants to save money on gas and at the same time cut down on greenhouse emissions, check out this site…greasenotgas.com. It’s extremely interesting to read up on. The site gives a step-by-step process of converting your diesel engine to run on waste vegetable oil, usually grease that was used in a deep fryer at a restaurant, hence, “So your exhaust smells like french fries?”