The Hype about Hydrogen: Fact and Fiction in the Race to Save the Climate

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Overview

Lately it has become a matter of conventional wisdom that hydrogen will solve many of our energy and environmental problems. Nearly everyone -- environmentalists, mainstream media commentators, industry analysts, General Motors, and even President Bush -- seems to expect emission-free hydrogen fuel cells to ride to the rescue in a matter of years, or at most a decade or two. Not so fast, says Joseph Romm. In The Hype about Hydrogen, he explains why hydrogen isn't the quick technological fix it's cracked up to be,...
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The Hype About Hydrogen: Fact and Fiction in the Race to Save the Climate

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Overview

Lately it has become a matter of conventional wisdom that hydrogen will solve many of our energy and environmental problems. Nearly everyone -- environmentalists, mainstream media commentators, industry analysts, General Motors, and even President Bush -- seems to expect emission-free hydrogen fuel cells to ride to the rescue in a matter of years, or at most a decade or two. Not so fast, says Joseph Romm. In The Hype about Hydrogen, he explains why hydrogen isn't the quick technological fix it's cracked up to be, and why cheering for fuel cells to sweep the market is not a viable strategy for combating climate change. Buildings and factories powered by fuel cells may indeed become common after 2010, Joseph Romm argues, but when it comes to transportation, the biggest source of greenhouse-gas emissions, hydrogen is unlikely to have a significant impact before 2050. The Hype about Hydrogen offers a hype-free explanation of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, takes a hard look at the practical difficulties of transitioning to a hydrogen economy, and reveals why, given increasingly strong evidence of the gravity of climate change, neither government policy nor business investment should be based on the belief that hydrogen cars will have meaningful commercial success in the near or medium term. Romm, who helped run the federal government's program on hydrogen and fuel cells during the Clinton administration, provides a provocative primer on the politics, business, and technology of hydrogen and climate protection.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781559637046
  • Publisher: Island Press
  • Publication date: 9/1/2005
  • Edition description: 1
  • Pages: 256
  • Product dimensions: 6.00 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 0.70 (d)

Meet the Author

Joseph J. Romm served in various positions in the Department of Energy during the Clinton administration. Currently the Executive Director of the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions, and a Principal with the Capital E Group, he is the author of Cool Companies: How the Best Businesses Boost Profits and Productivity By Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Island Press, 1999).

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Table of Contents

Foreword ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Why Hydrogen? Why Now? 11
Chapter 2 Fuel Cell Basics 23
Chapter 3 The Path to Fuel Cell Commercialization 35
Chapter 4 Hydrogen Production 67
Chapter 5 Key Elements of a Hydrogen-Based Transportation System 89
Chapter 6 The Long Road to Commercialization of Fuel Cell Vehicles 115
Chapter 7 Global Warming and Scenarios for a Hydrogen Transition 125
Chapter 8 Coping with the Global Warming Century 143
Chapter 9 Hydrogen Partnerships and Pilots 175
Conclusion: Choosing Our Future 187
Afterword to the 2005 Edition 197
Acknowledgments 213
Notes 217
Index 249
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  • Posted August 9, 2009

    Comprehensive, informative, well-researched look at the practicality of generating, storing and using hydrogen as a fuel.

    The author looks at all the pros and cons of hydrogen: "It is the best of fuels, it is the worst of fuels". He looks at many forms of generating hydrogen, and different types of fuel cells, both fixed and mobile. Many facts, analyses, efficiencies presented and some recommendations presented, both his and others. I didn't detect any real errors or misconceptions, although GM has now demonstrated over 300 miles with a fuel cell vehicle, which was not the case when the book was written. The author leaves room for scientific breakthroughs and even estimates how much certain efficiencies are likely to improve. Good reference.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 23, 2008

    A reviewer

    As a senior staff scientist with the federal government, the author has been able to learn about and evaluate the possibilities in migrating to a 'Hydrogen Economy'. What he has found is that this promise is ill founded. Written objectively and in a way that empowers the reader to understand the very core of the issues, the author takes the reader through a course that clearly represents his personal and professional journey. These insights reflect the hard lessons of one optimist looking for answers and walking away empty handed and pessimistic. I recommend this book for all those who want to know the real scoop on hydrogen. The numbers tell the whole story. Electrolysis is inefficient in converting electricity to hydrogen. Fuel cells for autos must operate at lower temperatores in order to start up quickly, and this results in even greater inefficiencies. Learn the truth about the 'Hydrogen Economy', so you can devote your energies where the real opportunities are. Learn from the hard fought and painful lessons of those who have preceeded us.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
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