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New Power
Non-renewable resources, such as oil, natural gas and coal are still our major sources of energy, but there's growing recognition that these will start to run dry in about twenty years' time.
Fuel Cells, which combine oxygen and hydrogen, to produce electricity and water, might be the answer.
Gerhard Gericke from Eskom explains the process: "Fuel cell energy generation, or power generation, is where we take a fuel and an oxidant: we react them, and convert that chemical energy directly into electrical energy. With conventional power generation techniques, we first convert the chemical energy in the coal to heat energy, then to mechanical energy, and only then to electrical energy". So Fuel Cells create electricity more efficiently than traditional means.
The cold fact is that fossil fuels are running out, so change is inevitable. Prichoff Capra, in his book, "The Turning Point", emphasised that all our energy needs can be met by harnessing the power of the sun. He makes the point that all the energy we use, with exception of Nuclear Power, comes from solar radiation. The sun moves the wind. It sustains the water cycle. When we burn something, we're using solar energy that's been converted into chemical form through photosynthesis. The trick is to use this energy without destroying what contained it. This is where fuel cells are so clever.
Ballard Power, a Canadian Company are pursuing this vision, particularly in a new innovative field - making each home or factory self-sufficient: domestic fuel cell generators make economic sense. At present, Eskom is supplying residential power at a loss. The cost of all the wires and relay stations wipes out any profits they might make (Eskom derives its profits mainly from the power it supplies to industry, which enables it to absorb the loss to domestic users). Gerhard continues: "At the moment, your acid Fuel Cells enter the market at about US$300/Kw; the proton exchange membrane Fuel Cells enters the market at about US$20'000/Kw. The aim is to get that down to belowUS$200/Kw, and then it can compete with alternative with alternative power generating systems, such as micro turbine gas turbines".
As one cynic put it, arguing about what kind of power station to build, is a bit like buying antique furniture to burn in the furnace. But the real revolution lies in the social consequences of shifting the source of our energy, from a centralized power station to our own homes. Since fuel cells are small-scale and labour intensive, their production is likely to generate a great number of jobs. By spreading the sources of power, we are also investing in people. Some economists maintain that true ecological balance requires full employment. Fuel cells would help shorten the bread queues. But in order to effect this transition, the oil companies would have to give up their dominant role in the world economy, and utility companies would have to surrender their monopoly in electricity production. It's an evolutionary process, and in the interim, we're likely to see a compromise between the old and the new forms of power. Imagine not ever having to pay an electricity bill. Better yet, imagine not having to put out the rubbish, since the organic residue produced from methane production is an excellent fertilizer. A few decades ago, NASA used on-board fuel cells to power the capsules and lunar landers that took man to the moon. Perhaps now, they can put us back in touch with earth. By converting waste products into energy, they fulfil the dream of the Medieval Alchemists - to transmute waste matter into gold. Contacts
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Remember the energy crisis? It hasn't gone away. Industrialized countries continue to deplete the global supply of fossil fuels.
The question is, what to replace it with. Many developing countries are pursuing Nuclear Power as an alternative, but the problem of where to dispose of radio-active waste and the possibility of a Nuclear accident, make this a controversial course.
They operate like batteries, except they don't run down, or require re-charging. Best of all, they're clean: instead of carbon dioxide, fuel cells emit water vapor as a by-product. Most of the research and development has come from the automotive industry in an attempt to lessen their dependence on petroleum. But if fuel cells can power our cars, then why not our homes and factories? Could this be a solution to our energy needs?
If Fuel Cells reach a critical mass of acceptance, it could represent a burgeoning revolution that changes the balance of power from centralised utility companies, to self-sufficient private homes.
Until now, the earth's mass, the organic matter produced by green plants, has been made to surrender its energy, by burning it. But, by extracting a substance such as ethanol from the renewable portion of the earth's bio-mass, or methanol from sewage and manure, fuel cells can provide power without pollution or depletion of the resource. By making use of gas from landfills and waste water treatment plants, they could become ideal power generators for inner cities, industrial areas and even suburbs.
When it comes to supplying electricity to private homes, the big central Power Station is a white elephant. It's common sense really. The sun's rays are diffused across the whole planet and since bio-mass doesn't just sprout up on central spot, why should our power stations.
