|
|
| The Hydrogen News # 27 |
| 01.29.05 (3:55 pm) |
The Hydrogen News # 27
In this issue:
Story# 1 Team sets out to circle the globe in H2 powered boat
Story # 2 Venture cap money available for H2 R&D
Story # 4 Guantanimo goes green
Story #39 More free software
Story # 40 It is so warm in Russia this winter that the bears can't sleep....
My Story: Damien's Machine
-------------Notice------ ------------------------- ------------------------- ----------------
The Hydrogen News is a free publication but if anyone would like to
slip a couple of bucks my way to help with buying equipment to
further my research I would appreciate it. I now have a Pay-Pal
"Donate" button on my blog and my website for this purpose.
Blog: http://enki.tblog.com
Website: http://www.geocities.com/mj_1...
------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------
Damien's Machine
By Mike Johnston
Copyright 2005
Intriguing title, isn't it? You know where it comes from, right? If not let me refresh your memory; in the book/movie The Omen 3, Damien Thorn (the Antichrist) develops a new source of free energy which is assumed to be for the purpose of leading the uneducated and morally bankrupt masses of the world into damnation. Not really a ringing endorsement of alternative energy is it? I guess that is why the movie annoyed me when it came out (70's?). I suppose that "inevitable doom" interpretation of the book of Revelation means that God wants us to go on using fossil fuels until they either run out or we all die from the consequences of using them. Or maybe it assumes that we must, to fulfill Divine design, start building more nuclear power plants. After all, the goal of good folk everywhere should be to destroy the world that we all know and love in order to open the pathway for the triumphal return of Jesus Christ shouldn't it?
But what about the Thorn Industries device itself? I don't think that the movie really went into describing how it was supposed to work but I do remember what it looked like. It was a low, factory type building which was situated right along the seashore. It had a large, metal ball above it which was supported by a cylindrical tower, sort of like a huge Van De Graff generator. It didn't mean anything to me at the time and still is only a fictional product of the writer's or filmmaker's imagination but the image stuck with me. As I describe my line of reasoning in this story you will see why the memory of that Satanic power plant resurfaced in my mind as I considered various ways to produce hydrogen from water in more efficient ways and how that plant might be adapted to become one possible incarnation of the particular method that I am going to describe for you here (besides it made a great title).
First off let's have a look at the fictional power source and see if we can identify the key components which would be involved in it's operation as best we can from the above description. There is the Van De Graff ball above the plant, that could be taken to represent a high voltage power supply. Or if you wanted to be a bit more specific you could say a high voltage, electrostatic power source. Next is the proximity of the plant to water, the ocean. From that we could surmise that water is another component of this (hypothetical) free power source. Since the ocean is salty (NaCl is an electrolyte), we might also assume that water with an electrolyte is a major component. From those two ingredients we could make some fairly realistic projections about how the system might have been able to work. Obviously using electricity and water with an electrolyte we can produce hydrogen fuel and so perhaps hydrogen was the intended result of this system? But it takes energy to produce hydrogen from water so how could this be a "free" energy system? On the other hand it takes more energy to turn a windmill than is produced by the generator that is attached to it and so how could that provide usable energy? Simple, it just depends on where you get your primary energy from. If you can find a source of energy which already exists in the environment (such as wind) then use that energy to generate electricity (as in the case of a windmill) or to split water and store the resulting hydrogen gas for later use then such a system becomes quite viable.
Next we should have a look at our planet and see if we can identify such a source of energy. I will outline two here that aren't being discussed too much in the mainstream press (or anywhere else for that matter). There are other embodiments of these sources but I won't go into those yet as I may want to try to make a buck or two off one of them. The Earth is part of a larger system and the energy of this system is supplied (by and large) by the Sun. The charged particles leaving the sun and radiating out into space are called the Solar Wind. As these particles hit the upper atmosphere they cause this part of the atmosphere to become electrically charged and to form a plasma. This is the plasmasphere. As a result of this charging by the sun the plasmasphere has a certain electrical potential (charge). Way down below on the ground there is a different potential (charge). Between these two plates is the dielectric, the air. Of course there is water vapor in the air as well as the air itself being made of several different gasses so it is a mixed dielectric. So the difference in charge between these two points could be called a potential difference or voltage. In essence then the Earth is acting as a huge, spherical capacitor ( http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~vawter/PhysicsNet/Topics /Capacitors/EarthCap.html ). Those of us who live here on the ground are living on one plate of a fully charged electrical capacitor. Think about that, we live in a sea of invisible energy and we don't even realize it.
I would like to inject here two points for your consideration which are not really related to the main topic of this article but are still worth thinking about. One is that, since the Earth is a capacitor and the air between the ground and the plasmasphere is the dielectric of this capacitor it is interesting to think about what might be the effects of any substantial changes in the composition of the dielectric. All dielectric substances have different levels of permeability. This determines how much of a potential difference is required to cause dielectric breakdown (when electric current is able to pass through the dielectric). If the air dielectric was to break down, for example, it might permit electrical current to flow directly between the Plasmasphere and the surface of the planet. Sort of like huge bolts of lightning of a type never before seen. I thought it was an interesting concept.
Following that train of thought one has to think about how the atmosphere has been changed recently. We have seen the addition of many new substances to the atmosphere. Chloroflurocarbons were the first one that we decided could bring about substantial changes to a vital part of out atmosphere (the Ozone Layer). Now we are looking at Carbon Dioxide as the next pollutant which is present in large enough concentrations to change the composition of the atmosphere in general with rather negative consequences for life forms who a) breathe oxygen and b) like to live in somewhat moderate temperatures. What about water though? Burning fossil fuels creates water where no water existed before. It also takes oxygen out of the atmosphere and bonds it into this water that it creates as well as into CO2 gas that it also creates (CH4 +2O2 ---- CO2 + 2H2O). So the Earth has more water and free carbon dioxide today than it did 200 years ago and less oxygen due to the use of fossil fuels. Much of this water is injected directly into the atmosphere as steam from auto exhaust and jet aircraft exhaust. A recent study discovered water higher in the atmosphere than it was ever detected before (at the quantities measured).
If this atmospheric water was pure H2O it would be just one more addition to the atmospheric dielectric but it isn't pure. Another pollutant created by burning fossil fuels is Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) which, when mixed with water, becomes Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4). So much of this new atmospheric water is acidulated by sulfuric acid. The most well known evidence of this is the acid rain which has been a problem for some time now. But another, less well known/discussed effect is that, by mixing a substance like sulfuric acid (which is an electrolyte) with water the resulting solution is no longer a dielectric, it becomes an electrical conductor. A very different situation indeed when you consider that by putting an electrical conductor higher and in greater concentrations in the insulating atmosphere than it has ever been before we are effectively decreasing the distance between the Plasmasphere plate of our planetary capacitor and the Ground plate. The closer two plates of a capacitor are the less dielectric that is between them and the less voltage that is required to cause dielectric breakdown and for current to flow directly between the two plates. What are the implications? I am not sure. As best as I can tell from asking a couple of climate change researchers no one is looking at these particular things in this way. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Back to my main topic though. We are living on one plate of a capacitor and we would like to find a way to use the energy of the capacitor that we live on to separate water and store the resulting H2 as a fuel. Ok, seems simple enough. What we need first is a way to collect this planetary energy and to direct it to flow between our point of collection and another point of lower electrical potential. In this pathway between these two points of different potential we will install our hydrogen producing mechanism so that current flows though it. What if we were to create a "capacitor within a capacitor"? Have a look at these pages before you read further as I will utilize concepts presented in them in this paper:
(1) http://amasci.com/tesla/spark...
(2) http://www.amasci.com/amateur...
These pages contain a good explanation of planetary electrical energy by Bill Beatty, an electrical engineer and acquaintance of mine. In the second paper referenced above in the 2nd through 5th paragraphs is a nice encapsulation of the framework for the first device proposed. Illustration: ( http://www.geocities.com/mj_1... ) The illustration I prepared is rather simple and without doubt could probably use a lot of work to make it something viable but we have to start somewhere, don't we? At any rate, in it you see a wire which serves as the other capacitor plate (the ground being the first). This Capacitive Antenna is mounted on wooden poles 30' high and the antenna is 200' long. At that height we should be able to get several hundred volts of charge built up on the wire. That wire then runs to an electrolysis cell and from there to a ground stake. That way any charge that builds up on the wire will have to drain through our electrolysis cell to get to the ground. Of course while it passes through the electrolysis cell the current will produce H2 and O2 gas from the water.
Electrolysis cells require a certain minimum voltage to operate, depending on the electrolyte used (usually 2 volts or less) and until this minimum voltage build up on the wire the cell will act like a capacitor itself. Once sufficient charge builds up the cell will act as a conductor and drain away the excess charge. An engineer might make many beneficial modifications to such a system. Such modifications might include using the antenna wire as a high voltage source and pulsing the DC charge by installing an oscillator or some such electronic component and then use a transformer to convert the high voltage low current of the antenna to low voltage high current on it's secondary as the current level not the voltage is what determines how much H2 is produced in an electrolysis cell. That is probably the simplest free hydrogen system that I can show you and it is a working embodiment of the Damien device from the movie. Cool, ain't it?
Another way to produce a more or less permanent voltage from naturally occurring conditions on the Earth, still using the ocean as a critical component, would be to use the ocean itself. You see the salinity of the water in the ocean is not at a constant level throughout. In deeper water there is a higher concentration of salt than there is in shallow water or in bays where a lot of fresh water is entering the ocean and diluting it's salinity. Why is this important? As I pointed out earlier salt is an electrolyte. This means that when it is placed in water salt splits into electrically charged pieces (ions) NaCL ---- Na+ + Cl- . The PH value of a solution which is familiar in that it shows whether a solution is acid or basic can also be used to determine the electrical charge of such a solution. The more ions present the higher the charge. If the negative ion has the higher charge the solution is acidic and if the positive ion has the higher charge it is positively charged. One can say that is all well and good but because there are an equal number of positive and negative ions in a solution then the solution overall is electrically neutral. You would be correct BUT if you compare two different containers of water with different concentrations of the same electrolyte in them (such as salt), even though both solutions are electrically neutral on an individual basis, one container has a significantly higher number of charged particles overall and because of this there is a measurable potential difference between those two containers or between different concentrations of salt at different depths in the ocean.
This charge would probably be somewhat static though and some method of oscillating the charge between two or more plates of some inert metal (one at each depth desired) would probably be needed in order to make use of this permanent charge to separate water and produce H2 fuel. That isn't the point though, the point is that there are MANY sources of free electrical energy available to us naturally in the environment around us which could potentially be utilized to produce hydrogen fuel from water for us to use. H2 from water is a totally non-polluting energy source and it doesn't rob oxygen from the environment either or release CO2 or any other pollutant into the environment. Just based on that isn't H2 from water the fuel that we should be putting all our research efforts into?
As I promised in the last H2 News I have tried to put together here a somewhat persuasive argument for the viability of two methods to produce free H2 from water. Hopefully the somewhat novel way of doing it (using Damien's Machine as an example) was at least slightly amusing. These methods are very simple to understand with no moving parts to wear out and would, if indeed they are possible, do wonders for the implementation of the Hydrogen Economy. Imagine that, no more buying heating oil for your home or gas for your car! No more pollution! And it is possible NOW, not in 20 years. As long as the Earth is here this will work because it uses the free energy that is provided by the planet itself. I love science.
-END-
----------Advertisement-- ------------------------- ------------------------- --------------
E! Magazine is your source for cutting edge environmental news.
https://www.kable.com/pub/enmg/subTrial.asp?src=QSA136
------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ----------------------
Hydrogen News Links:
(1) AROUND the world on hydrogen
Dubbing their endeavor The Hydrogen Expedition, Hilman and teammates are gearing up to circumnavigate the globe in a hydrogen-fuel-cell-powere d boat. ...
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com...
( Cool, cool, cool. ED.)
(2) West Coast Private Equity Conference
ACG San Francisco and the Haas School of Business are proud to present their Second Annual West Coast Private Equity Conference
Wednesday, January 19th, 2005
10:00am - 6:30pm
8:30 AM Registration Opens
10:00 AM The Double Bottom Line
The Honorable Phil Angelides,
California State Treasurer, CalPERS and CalSTRS Board Member
11:00 AM Networking Session
12:15 PM Lunch & Keynote Speaker
The Similar Worlds of Sports and Private Equity
Steve Young, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Sorenson Capital
2:30 PM Haas Business School Panel
Dean Richard Lyons - Foreign Currency Risk
Holly Schroth - Negotiations
Kellie McElhaney - Corporate Governance
3:30-6:30 PM ACG Capital Connection and Wine Reception
Printable registration form: please go to our web site at www.acg.org/sanfrancisco
(Have a cutting edge H2 energy idea? Here is your ticket to fame and fortune. ED.)
(3) CHBC Alliances Conference
In conjunction with our upcoming General Meeting February 25 in Torrance, the California Hydrogen Business Council invites you to attend a special Two-Day
Workshop on Business Alliances
http://www.californiahydrogen...
(Want to form alliances with successful H2 related companies? Here is your meeting. ED.)
(4) Guantanamo military base to be powered partly by wind
http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forw...
(5) SAE India developing hydrogen vehicle
SAE India is working on a proposal to launch a hydrogen powered vehicle by 2008. The chairman of ...
http://www.awknowledge.com/AE...
(6) USDA Publishes Rules for Federal Purchasing of Bioproducts
http://www.usda.gov/2005/01/0...
(Want to sell your fryer grease to the Feds? Here's how. Ed.)
(7) FIRM to oversee hydrogen-power buses for the city
Imagine the vehicle of the future, equipped with a hydrogen-fuel-cell-based engine and wireless Internet access for professionals on the go. ...
http://www.yaledailynews.com/...
(But we can't get fuel cells for our houses or our vehicles? Hint: a fuel cell big enough to power a bus would easily power your house. ED.)
(8) GREEN hydrogen buses are a 'hit'
He said that the trials were a "positive indication that hydrogen fuel cells could offer an alternative to diesel in the future". ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/en...
(Hydrogen houses would begood too. You could use solar or wind to produce your H2 and.... Nevermind. ED.)
(9) ALTERNATIVE-FUEL vehicles star, but wide use is miles away
"It's not an especially expensive or energy-intensive process. ...and storage costs would make hydrogen, very roughly ... as expensive as gasoline, but fuel cells
are ...
http://www.usatoday.com/money...
( And anything that burns gasoline can burn H2 with a few relatively easy modifications. Of course H2 fueled BUSSES are affordable but not cars, oh no, not cars. Not
for YOU anyway! hahahahaha ED.)
(10) Student's Wave Energy Invention Wins National Award
His invention was the "Gyro-Gen," a gyroscope that converts ocean wave energy into electricity. The spinning gyroscope, mounted in a buoy, resists the
movement of the waves by exerting torque on a crank, which turns an electric generator.
http://www.siemens-foundation...%20National%20Winners%20R elease%20FINAL.pdf
(11) ONTARIO set to boost fuel cell development
The program could also help Ontario's automotive, manufacturing and petrochemical sectors stay competitive in the hydrogen economy, should it ever emerge.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp...
(12) GM: Hydrogen fuel cells clearly industry's driving force
Electric-gasoline hybrid vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that emit only water vapor are the future, Larry Burns, GM's vice president of research and ...
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs....
(13) FORD receives new hydrogen systems from Dynetek
Ford's new E-450 shuttle bus will be fitted with Dynetek's hydrogen fuel storage systems.
http://www.awknowledge.com/AC...
(14) HONDA fuel-cell cars to be available in US
If you're waiting to get your hands on one of Honda's zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell cars, this may be your year.
http://www.engadget.com/entry...
( Wait, I thought these wouldn't be available for years? Hmmmm, something fishy here. All you need is a solar electrolyzer and you will never buy gas again. ED.)
(15) ENCAPSULATION of Molecular Hydrogen in Fullerene C 60 by Organic ...
This process can be used to synthesize a fullerene C 60 encapsulating molecular hydrogen, which can be isolated as a pure product. ...
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi...
(16) NANOMIX Receives Additional US Patent in Alternative Energy ...
The system employs a combination of thermal insulation and an enclosure for the storage and controlled distribution of hydrogen as a high-energy fuel. ...
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/0...
(17) INDUSTRY split over future of hybrid cars
Split this week over which fuel efficient, lower emission, engines will prove to be the wave of the future - hybrid, clean diesel or hydrogen fuel cell. ...
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com...
(18) WATER, WATER EVERYWH ... HEY, WHERE'D THE WATER GO?
Agriculture needs to start conserving water, badly
http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forw...
( Damn, now water will cost as much as gasoline. Guess I will be buying my water from EXXON soon. ED.)
(19) CALIFORNIA'S Hydrogen Future: A Senate Briefing
Transportation Studies will brief US senators and staffers on the future of fuel cell vehicles and California's pioneering efforts to build a hydrogen economy. ...
http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/s...
(20) Home-Made Biofuels Are Best - UK Green Groups
http://www.planetark.com/dail...
(21) WAY cleared for start of hydrogen pipeline
A proposed 12-inch hydrogen gas pipeline in Lucas County (Ohio) received approval yesterday from the Ohio Power Siting Board, clearing the way for ...
http://toledoblade.com/apps/p...
( Distributing the H2 for those fuel cell buses that aren't at all like the fuel cell cars you can't buy yet, unless you buy them from Honda. ED.)
(22) Green Energy Resources Shareholder Update for 2004-2005
http://www.enn.com/press.html...
(23) UK Hydrogen Energy Strategic Framework -- Analysis (December 2004 ...)
The key message from the analysis is that for the UK, the use of hydrogen as a transport fuel offers significant opportunities for cost-competitive CO2 ...
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com...
(24) HOW high oil prices can be green
Sustained oil prices are also driving the development of the next generation of vehicle engine, the hydrogen fuel cell.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/ne...
( As well as record profits for the oil companies. I could also tell you why it is good for the profitability of a company to keep the wages of workers like you as low as is
possible and to eliminate such frivolous perks as health insurance and pensions. You understand that right? It is good for the overall economy for you and millions of
others like you to live in poverty. That is simply the truth. The more a company can lower it's costs the more profitable it is and the more profitable it is the more money
it can spend on $100,000 wedding gowns and $40,000,000 coronation parties. Thanks America, now get back to work, Daddy needs a new Lamborghini. ED.)
(25) STARK has what it takes
It would rely on nonpolluting "clean-coal" technology to extract hydrogen from coal and use the hydrogen to make electricity in fuel cells or gas turbines. ...
http://www.cantonrep.com/inde...
(Remember friends, in "Clean Coal" technologies most or all of the H2 produced comes from the water used, NOT the Coal. ED.)
(26) White House, Pentagon, Industry Secretly Colluded To Skew National Academy Of Sciences Perchlorate Report, Documents Show
http://www.enn.com/aff.html?i...
(Is this a surprise? It's ok though Republicans can do no wrong.Wait till you guys retire and get your first Social Security check. hehehehehe ED.)
(27) HYBRIDS and hydrogen rule
The most dramatic fuel-cell news, visually at least, comes from GM, which has rolled out a crossover concept called Sequel, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. ...
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp...
(28) Rising Seas Threaten Islands, Cities, Coasts
It sounds insignificant alongside the Indian Ocean tsunami, yet an almost imperceptible annual rise in the world's oceans may pose a huge threat to ports, coasts
and islands by 2100.
http://www.enn.com/today.html...
( Luckily though there is no such thing as global warming/climate change. "W" says so and we all know what a genius he is.ED.)
(29) JAPAN proposes huge cuts in emissions
By 2100, most energy consumption will be met by renewable energy sources such as nuclear power, hydrogen energy and solar energy. ...
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news...
(30) Toyota Europe Aims to Sell 20,000 Prius Hybrids in Europe
http://www.planetark.com/dail...
( No doubt they will too. Europeans are just such damn tree huggers, aren't they? Just remember Europe, the jet stream flows west to east.ED.)
(31) Powerful Storm Kills Three in Britain
http://www.planetark.com/dail...
(32) Sustainability must be in hearts and minds of government
Sustainability urgently needs to be put at the heart of all government policies, a report by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) has stated.
http://www.edie.net/news/news...
(33) Top global scientific minds meet to study climate change
Top scientists from the UK and Japan have joined forces to create a super-technology for predicting climate change in the 21st Century.
http://www.edie.net/news/news...
(34) Canadian Researcher Invents New Solar Cell
http://www.planetark.com/dail...
(35) Fossil Fuel Curbs May Speed Global Warming
http://www.planetark.com/dail...
(36) Spain's Gamesa to Build Wind Power Plant in US
http://www.planetark.com/dail...
( At least somebody is. ED.)
(37) The Changing Arctic: Indigenous Perspectives
http://www.enn.com/aff.html?i...
( Get it? Keyword: Changing. THe Earth today is not like it was within human memory. Period. The government can only pull their Ostrich act for so long. ED.)
(38) Svalbard's Marine Mammals in a Warmer, Wetter, Wilder Arctic
http://www.enn.com/aff.html?i...
( No climate change, no climate change, no climate change....is it gone yet? ED.)
(39) Free Sustainable Transport Advice for SMEs
TransportEnergy BestPractice introduces new training CD-Rom for business advisers and trainers
http://www.edie.net/news/news...
(40) Warm Russian Winter Drives Bears Out of Bed
http://www.planetark.com/dail...
( Bad bears! Back to hibernation! There is NO GLOBAL WARMING!!!! Please, someone, shoot those damn bears and hide the carcasses, ALL IS WELL! ED.)
Notice: For information on advertising rates or to make suggestions email me at: enki@chilitech.net All original material in this newsletter is assumed to be
copyrighted by the source from which it originates. My stories are also copyrighted from the date they are published.
|
|
7 Comments
|
| |
| The Hydrogen news # 26 |
| 01.21.05 (2:39 pm) |
The Hydrogen News # 26
In this issue:
(1) Read story #35. If you read nothing else read that story.
(2) How to build water based electronics (my story).
(3) Making H2 from booze (story #1).
(4) Who owns the world's oil? (story #40).
Solid State, Liquid State
By Mike Johnston
Copyright 2005
-------------Notice------ ------------------------- ------------------------- ----------------
The Hydrogen News is a free publication but if anyone would like to
slip a couple of bucks my way to help with buying equipment to
further my research I would appreciate it. I now have a Pay-Pal
"Donate" button on my blog and my website for this purpose.
Blog: http//:enki.tblog.com
Website: http://www.geocities.com/mj_1...
------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------
In this edition I want to introduce a concept that might be new to a lot of people and at the same time describe one of my own experiments with a particular effect. Most people today are at least somewhat familiar with the basic electronic components that we all depend on to sustain our society. Items such as capacitors, rectifiers, choke coils, transistors and the like. But most people don't know that you can use water as one of the basic components for building all of them. Yep, you could build a water based computer. That might be a really interesting project for some enterprising student somewhere to build. Or you could build more basic electronic devices such as voltage multipliers (require rectifiers and capacitors) or something like that. I have personally built water based capacitors and rectifiers and want to tackle a transistor next.
Capacitors are the easiest electronic component to build with water. All you need is some water, two (ideally inert) metal plates and a container. In that situation water is the dielectric. So that is simple enough and after all electrolytic capacitors are fairly common and are similar. So then we could say that any electrolysis cell that we build to produce hydrogen from water is actually a capacitor. This is true and is an important factor to take into consideration when designing and building electrolysis cells in order to achieve the best possible efficiency. Once we add an electrolyte to the water in our capacitor the capacitor begins to "leak" current between it's plates and becomes a less efficient capacitor and a more efficient conductor. The more electrolyte that is added the lass capacitance that there is and the more it becomes just a conductor. But there are limits to how much electrolyte can be added and so the cell will always retain some of it's capacitor characteristics.
What about semiconductors though like transistors? Can water be used as a semiconductor too? I think so. If you look at how semiconductors work and compare that to what effects can be achieved with water I think you will agree. Semiconductors depend on a two way conduction effect. "Holes" move in one direction and electrons in the other. "Holes" are simply atoms which have lost one or more electrons on their outer shells and electrons of course are negatively charged particles. So one could make a comparison between positively charged "holes" and the positive ions in an electrolytic solution and between electrons and the negatively charged ions in such a solution. In water the OH- ions would be the "electrons" as they carry an extra electron and the H+ ions the "holes" as they are lacking an electron. Pure Silicon is not a very good semiconductor just like pure water is not a very good conductor. Silicon must be "doped" with substances such as Boron or Phosphorous. Water must also have other compounds added to it (electrolytes) to make it a conductor. Will water ever replace Silicon as the semiconductor of choice? Probably not but it is interesting to think about.
Rectifiers are easy to build too and will be the main focus of this story. I am going to rely on an outside page to describe and illustrate such a water based rectifier and also for the analysis of the electrical performance of such a rectifier. The Author of that page: http://home.earthlink.net/~lenyr/borax.htm seems pretty competent in those areas. I will handle the description of the reactions involved and describe my own experiences while replicating the system he describes and the modifications that I made to it and the results that I observed because of those modifications. So before reading the rest of this story I would encourage you to go ahead and click on the above link and read the story there. If anyone has trouble accessing that page I do have the page saved on my computer.
Now that you have read about the rectifier cells with the glowing electrodes I am sure you will find the rest of this story quite interesting. When I first encountered that concept I was immediately fascinated with it. I set out to duplicate the experiment described. In my rectifier cell I used aluminum strips about 1 1/2" wide and 5" long. I cut these strips from a new pie tin. I used distilled water and borax in the cell. I connected the cell to my 120 volt household mains as described using a light bulb to provide resistance and thereby prevent the possibility of too much current flowing through the circuit. I wired the light bulb in series with the cell, on the hot side between the cell and the outlet. I also included a 10 amp circuit breaker in the circuit as added insurance against a runaway current.
I turned on the cell and watched for a while as the oxide coat formed on the aluminum strips. I first ran the setup during the day and so could detect no glow on the electrodes. Later that night though, when I turned the power on again, I did notice the described glow and was captivated by the effect. It seems like such a cool and attention getting demonstration that I am surprised that it is not more commonly known.
After observing the cell for a while and determining that, once the oxide coat formed on the aluminum electrodes, the electrodes were not experiencing any deterioration I began to measure it's performance and to think about additional possibilities that might be interesting to try with it in terms of potential uses and modifications that might be made to the basic setup. The measurements I took on the cell were themselves interesting. I took my multimeter and measured the potential difference between the water in the cell and the grounded outlet box on the wall. The observed potential difference was 168 volts. That was interesting because that value was essentially the peak value of the AC line current (170 volts) and not the usually measured 120 volt RMS (Root Mean Square) value for AC. This even though a part of the voltage was being dropped across the light bulb which was before the cell in series.
At this point I wondered if I could transfer this electrical charge (voltage) from the water in the rectifier cell to another container of water without increasing the nearly nonexistent current through the rectifier cell. To test this I inserted an electrode made of 316 stainless between the other two (Al) electrodes in the rectifier cell. Then I set up a "normal" electrolysis cell using NaOH electrolyte with two 316 stainless electrodes in it. I wired these two electrodes to each other to form a circuit between them. I then placed a third electrode of 316 stainless between these two in the electrolysis cell. I then connected the third electrode in the rectifier cell to the third electrode in the electrolysis cell. For an illustration of this setup please right click on the following link and open it in a new browser window, link:
(http://www.geocities.com/mj_1...)
I then measured the potential difference between the water in this satellite cell and the grounded outlet box and found it to be 168 volts. So, using a single wire connected to a neutral electrode in each cell all of the electric charge in the rectifier cell was being transferred to the satellite cell. The next question was how to make use of the charge in the satellite cell and whether or not utilizing the charge in the satellite cell would affect the level of charge in the rectifier cell. I measured the potential difference between the two other electrodes in the satellite cell (without them being connected to each other) and found it to be 1.68 volts. I thought it was curious that these two electrodes should have any potential difference at all between them since they were both of equal size and shape and were both in the same container of water which should have an equal charge throughout it.
I began to move the electrodes into different positions in relation to each other and to the single "charged" electrode between them. I found that I could change the measured potential difference between these two electrodes through a range of 1.68 volts to 3 volts. The farther away from each other that the electrodes were the greater the potential difference between them. Also I found that by placing one of these electrodes close to the charged electrode and the other one farther away I could increase the potential difference between them.
Next I connected these two electrodes to each other with a piece of wire. The pd ( potential difference) between them immediately dropped to zero. No electrolysis was observed in the cell however. Then I installed a 6 amp rectifier in the wire between the two electrodes in the satellite cell to see if I could get a DC current to flow between the two electrodes. Again, no electrolysis was observed. Finally I tried usingonly the two main electrodes in the rectifier cell and connecting each of them directly to the two electrodes in the satellite cell (eliminating the neutral electrode in the satellite cell). I put a rectifier on each wire, facing in opposite directions, so a DC current might possibly be able to flow through this setup. Again, no electrolysis was observed, although in this case the pd was maintained between the electrodes in the satellite cell.
I believe that there are many avenues to explore within the above mentioned setup which could yield scientifically useful information but I have not pursued them at this point. Instead I turned my thoughts to other ways that I might capitalize on the rectifier cell. I set up two more rectifier cells, identical to the first, in series with the first. I then measured the pd between the first and last electrodes in the series and found it to be 113 volts (see figure 2 here: (http://www.geocities.com/mj_1...). In these illustrations the rectifier symbols are meant to represent the rectifier aspects of the oxide coated aluminum electrodes in the rectifier cells. The exception to this is the rectifier shown in the wire between the electrodes of the satellite cell. In that case the symbol is meant to depict the previously mentioned 6a rectifier I inserted there.
Next I measured the pd between the water in the first and last cells and found it to be 168 volts, the same as between the water in the single rectifier cell and the grounded wall plate in my previous example. This intrigued me because when I had measured the pd of the probes of my micrometer in the water within a single rectifier cell, by placing my probes in the water but a space apart, I could only ever measure a pd of around 3 volts. Three volts didn't seem like much to work with but 168 volts did.
I then installed an electrode made of 316 stainless between the aluminum electrodes on both the first and last rectifier cell in the series. I should mention that, in all cases in this paper where neutral, stainless electrodes are mentioned, said electrodes are just hanging down into the solution. They are not connected to the other two electrodes in the cell in any way and are not large enough to divide the cells into two separate halves. I then measured the pd between these stainless electrodes in the first and last cells and found it to be 98 volts. The pd between the first and last aluminum rectifier cell electrodes remained at 113 volts. I then decided to try to use this setup as a power source for an induction coil/transformer. The transformer that I had available to work with was a common 120 volt to 12 volt automotive battery charger.
My transformer stepped 120 volt AC current down to 12 volt DC. I ran a wire from each of the neutral electrodes in the rectifier cells to one of the prongs on the AC plug of the charger. I then turned on the power. The pd between the first and last aluminum electrodes in the rectifier cell series remained at 113 volts.The pd between the two neutral electrodes now measured at 48 volts, a 100 volt drop after the transformer was connected. Obviously SOMETHING was happening inside the transformer to cause the voltage drop between the electrodes that is was connected to. I really didn't think that any usable energy would be transferred to the transformer secondary though as that seemed too easy.Just for giggles though I picked up the battery clamps on the 12 volt side of the transformer and tapped them together to see if they would throw a spark like they would if they were plugged into the wall socket directly. Much to my surprise a nice yellow spark was generated by tapping the electrodes together!
Then I took the electrolysis cell that I had already put together to use in the previously described phase of this research and hooked it up to the 12 volt side of the charger. Vigorous electrolysis commenced immediately in the electrolysis cell. The measured pd between the electrodes in the electrolysis cell (under load) fluctuated between 3 and 4 volts with 3.6 volts being the average. The current flowing through the electrolysis cell was about 1.8 amps. Remember that a lower resistance cell would have allowed more current to flow and consequently produced more hydrogen and that 3.6 volts is enough pd to power at least 2 and possibly 3 electrolysis cells depending on the electrolyte used.
On the primary side of the transformer the only voltage drop noticed when the transformer was powering the electrolysis cell on it's secondary was the one previously mentioned between the two neutral, stainless electrodes in the rectifier cells. The pd between the aluminum electrodes in the rectifier cells did not drop. Instead it actually increased. This seemed curious to me as the current flowing through the secondary should cause more current to flow on the primary side but the rectifier cells were still blocking all or nearly all current flow in the primary. With that in mind I settled in to watch the system perform for a while. I noticed a few strange effects on the primary side of the transformer and I will spend the remainder of this paper describing them and giving my thoughts on their causes. I want to do that because I think they are significant in their own right.
Image link for figure 3: http://www.geocities.com/mj_1...
Let me list my measurements of the pd between the water of the individual cells and the grounded wall plate both without the transformer and with it:
Cell#1 no transformer: 120 volts, with transformer: 120volts
Cell #2 no transformer: 78 volts, with transformer: 98 volts
Cell #3 no transformer: 28 volts, with transformer: 92 volts
See what I mean about the presence of the transformer increasing the voltage of the cells?
I also noticed that when the rectifier cells are wired in series the electrodes no longer glow in the same way as they did with only one cell. With three cells in series only two of the electrodes glow. The first electrode (cathode) of the first cell in the series and the last electrode (anode) of the last cell in the series. The cathode of the first cell glows brightly but the anode of the last cell glows only dimly. None of the electrodes between these two glows at all neither do they dissolve even after prolonged operation.
The next thing that I noticed was that the amount of bubbles being produced at the aluminum rectifier cell electrodes (of which there were only tiny amounts) in cell #1 was greater than the amount being produced in cells numbers 2 & 3. In 2 & 3 the the amount of gasses being produced was so small as to be very nearly nonexistent. In cell # 1 however there were tiny but steady streams of bubbles being produced at the edges of the electrodes. When the transformer is hooked up the amount of bubbles being produced in the # 1 rectifier cell increases noticeably. Here is another puzzle. The gas being produced in the # 1 cell with the transformer hooked up is formed on the cathode of that cell and on the neutral stainless electrode, NOT on the anode of the cell! No increase of bubble formation is observed in either of the other two cells in this situation.
I believe that the transformer coil is acting to boost the voltage in the rectifier cells by first storing and releasing the energy of the AC radio signal that is passing through the cells. And I think that more current is flowing between the neutral electrodes than is flowing in the primary circuit itself and the current is moving from one neutral electrode to the other and then reversing polarity and going back to the other electrode as the polarity of the cells changes. So the neutral cells are in essence antennas which are inserted into the radio signal in the water and are receiving the signal like a radio antenna. This might be possible because water is much better at transferring waves than is air.
If you look again at the voltages listed above for the water in each of the cells in series you will notice that the voltage ("charge") in each cell is different. This means that the neutral electrodes, inserted into the first and last cells, are actually taking advantage of this potential difference between the water of the cells in the series. This brings up a rather unique possibility. Imagine if you will a hot wire leading into the series of cells as pictured. But then imagine the ground wire being removed (I don't recommend you do this). That would be more or less like an incomplete circuit in the primary. It is true that the hot wire is still electrically energized and does put out a small but detectable emf around it. But no current can flow because no complete circuit exists for current to flow through and so no current can flow.
Imagine now, as I said, that we hook this lone hot wire to our series of electrolysis cells but no ground wire is connected. Would the electrodes in the cells act like tiny radio antennas and transmit the electric charge from the hot wire through all of the cells? I did test this setup and the answer is yes. Without a ground wire connected a pd can still be measured between the water of the first and last cell in the series and also between the battery clamps on the 12 volt side of the transformer. No electrolysis occurred without the ground wire hooked up but the electric charge was there and was being transferred to the secondary of the transformer coil. Perhaps with more sophisticated electronic components being added into the system by a qualified electrical engineer there could be a system developed which would allow current to flow in the secondary of the transformer in this situation. If that is possible then, since no current flows in the primary, it should be obvious that a single, small AC generator could power an almost unlimited number of electrolysis cells via such a system. Even the grounded system should have some definite potential for further research and development in the search for better, more efficient ways to produce hydrogen from water. Hopefully this paper will stimulate some people who have the resources to further these concepts to do so.
I deal in finding possibilities. I form an idea and then try to determine if it is possible. I don't worry about the practicality of the possibilities that I develop because that is the job of Engineers and I am not one. In the next issue of the Hydrogen News I want to describe to you a rather interesting possibility, a way to produce hydrogen fuel from water absolutely free. Yes I know I am standing on a rather short plank with that statement. I have been working on this for a while however and so far it hangs together. No moving parts, no using fossil fuels to produce it, no engine or generator needed, no dissolving metals. And no, it isn't wind or solar either. I am talking about using the energy of the Earth itself... Stay tuned.
-END-
----------Advertisement-- ------------------------- ------------------------- --------------
E! Magazine is your source for cutting edge environmental news.
https://www.kable.com/pub/enmg/subTrial.asp?src=QSA136
------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ----------------------
Hydrogen News Links:
(1) Engineers Invent Ethanol Reactor Capable of Producing Hydrogen
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com...
Through funding from the Minnesota Cornn Growers Association, the Minnesota Corn Research and...
(Corn alcohol? Damn, it's Hillbilly heaven! ED.)
(2) Fuel Cell Driven Yacht
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com...
The fuel-cell powered drive system for boats, which has been named "CoolCell" by MTU, is used to...
(Let's see, I need an H2 yacht, and an H2 limo, an H2 Harley, and an H2 Mansion, research can be such fun, can't it? ED.)
(3) Hydrogen Technologies: Are Advancements Robust Enough to Deliver on Hydrogen's Immense Potential?
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi...
Hydrogen is being regarded as a promising candidate to replace conventional hydrocarbon fuels in...
(4) Japan's Nippon Shokubai to mass-produce fuel cell ceramic sheets
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com...
Nippon Shokubai Co Ltd will build a pilot plant to manufacture ceramic sheets for solid oxide fuel.
(5) Road to hydrogen cars may not be so clean
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin...
"I'm supportive of research and development, but we are at least two decades away from (deploying)... San Francisco Chronicle
(6) U of Tasmania Hydrogen powered postie bike set for Tassie trial
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com...
The world's first hydrogen powered postie bike has been unveiled in Hobart.
(7) Fuel-cell vehicles obscure--but popular
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com...
Only 24 percent of consumers know what fuel-cell vehicles are....but they like them...
(8) Fuel cell cars on road to the future
http://www.theadvertiser.news...,5936,11737412%255E911,00 .html
General Motors sees the hydrogen-powered fuel cell car as the car of the future.
(Remember, the future starts...NOW! ED.)
(9) Hybrid Cars are The Future
http://www.mixedpower.com/mod...
WHY has the Toyota Prius become the car industry's most talked about product?
(Seems as though Toyota and GM are not on quite the same page, doesn't it? ED.)
(10) H2U Student Design Competition Goes International
http://releases.usnewswire.co...
This year, the National Hydrogen Association (NHA), ChevronTexaco and the U.S. Department of Energy...
(if any of this year's teams want some design help/ideas just email me at enki@chilitech.net ED.)
------------------------- ---- Water Science ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ----------------
Water is one of the most fascinating substances in existence. Maybe I am a bit prejudiced in saying that but I think
that anyone who has spent any time learning even a little bit about it's structure, behavior and it's interactions with
other elements will agree. For much more detailed information about water I suggest visiting Martin Chaplin's excellent
site here: http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/i...
------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- --------------------
(11) Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Rocket power heats house
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com...
A fuel technology last used in a rocket mission to the moon has been harnessed in a world first to...
(12) 2004 in Review
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
In a year that may end up remembered more for the natural catastrophe that closed it out, the transition to sustainable transportation lurched into a higher gear and
began jerkily picking up a little bit of speed.
(13) Title: A proposed science initiative for Bush
http://ritestuff.blogspot.com...
Orson Scott Card has some observations about science.
(Ok, I don't agree with a lot of what this guy says but he makes some interesting points and I liked the title of his blog: "Right Wing Neo-Pagan" ED.)
(14) Hydrogen's not so Hot
http://www.rppi.org/outofcont...
Reason did a policy study last month exploring the impact of switching cars over to hydrogen on greenhouse gas emissions.
(Here we see the latest "half accurate" anti-hydrogen spin story. It is true in one scenario for H2 production but that isn' the only way to do it. ED.)
(15) Transition to hydrogen: road to China's energy sustainable development
http://www.inderscience.com/
Based on the analysis of the status quo and the outlook for China's energy, challenges facing China in energy sector are presented.
(So? Wal-Mart owns China now. If you can run a communist sweat shop making capitalist goods cheaper on H2 then I'm all for it. ED.)
(16) Iceland to Spread Green Energy Mantra in Europe
http://www.20six.de/FREEAGENC...
(17) Pipe dream
http://bulagnabilog.blogspot....
What would happen when oil runs out?
( An interesting commentary but it concludes that we are doomed to use petroleum pretty much forever.(sigh) ED.)
(18) H 2 --No
http://www.cuzwesaidso.com/ar...
"Popular Science"[T]he truth is that we arent much closer to a commercially viable hydrogen-powered car than we are to cold fusion or a cure for cancer."The article
says that hydrogen is not and can never be an energy source on Earth, that a hydrogen economy will not run on renewable energy any time in the near future... and
several other sobering things."
(And;"If god intended man to fly he would have given him wings, etc.." ED.)
(19) "Shell Helping Lead the Way to The Hydrogen Economy"
http://www.prweb.com/releases...
Featuring an exclusive interview with Shell Hydrogen?s CEO Jeremy Bentham, and outlining the forces driving us towards a future fuelled at least partly by hydrogen.
( Of course this is just a waste of money according to the previous few storys...ED.)
(20) China's Large Oil Reserves in Bohai Bay Get Media Attention
http://www.intl-news.com/blog...
Exploration teams have found the Bohai Bay Basin of North China may contain 20.5 billion tons of offshore oil reserves, with 9 billion tons already proven, experts said.
(Imagine an energy independent China which also has the world's cheapest and most productive manufacturing workforce...uh-oh... ED.)
(21) Mining the Moon: Helium 3 to solve Earth's Energy Problems?
http://feeds.feedburner.com/A...
A potential gas source found on the moon's surface could hold the key to meeting future energy demands as the earth's fossil fuels dry up in the coming decades,
scientists say.
( hehehehe, oh, that's good. And people believe this crap? But we can't produce H2 on Earth? hehehehe Fused H2 (or D2) can produce He3 as a by-product. ED.)
(22) Out of the Energy Box?
http://e-energy.blogspot.com/2004/12/out-of-energy -box.html
Out of the Energy Box By S. JULIO FRIEDMANN AND THOMAS HOMER-DIXON From the November/December 2004 issue of Foreign Affairs.
( Interesting to see world level players wring their hands and run around crying "who will save us?" hehehe ED.)
(23) All About Fuel Cells And Alternative Fuel Vehicles
http://www.articleagents.com/...
( A bunch of facts for whoever is interested. Might be a nice resource for a school report. ED.)
(24) Texas Energy Center still hasn't created jobs
http://newstrove.com/cgi-bin/...://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2972693
Energy Center leaders say the problem is a lack of federal funds and a need to change their business plan to fit the objectives of the jobs-focused Texas Enterprise
Fund.
( Awww, poor Texas. I say we give George W. back to them. Maybe he can solve their problems by bombing Louisiana back to the stone age? Course if I get another
invite from the Carlyle Group my opinion might change...ED.)
(25) Dioxin - Closer than you think!
http://www.greenpeace.org/int...
The deadly chemical dioxin has hit the headlines with the poisoning of Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yuschenko. What doesn't often make the news is the fact
that dioxin pollution is far more widespread than political poisonings.
(26) Uncharted waters for the Climate?
http://www.greenpeace.org/int...
Politicians from around the world are gathering in Argentina to discuss climate change. We have unveiled our own 'Climate Ark' in the centre of Buenos Aires to
illustrate the urgent need for action.
(27) IEA sees potential in hydrogen and fuel cells (Oil & Gas Journal)
http://ogj.pennnet.com/articl...
Although commercial maturity and significant market penetration remain decades away, hydrogen and fuel-cell technologies represent high-potential options for a
secure energy future with diminished emissions of carbon dioxide.
(28) Golf Car utilizes 1.8 kW alkaline fuel cell generator
http://news.thomasnet.com/ful...
Freedom II, powered by Model E7 AFC Generator, runs smoothly and silently and can be refueled in minutes. Generator is fueled by 33 L carbon fiber cylinder of
compressed hydrogen and can operate for over 3 days between refills. Emission-free generator contains two 900 W POWERSTACK MC250 alkaline fuel cell stacks
and can deliver 20% overload factor for acceleration and hill climbing.
( But to go from golf cart to car is decades away? Sorta funny, isn't it? ED.)
(29) Green Power
http://www.fastcompany.com/ma...
Thanks to soaring fuel prices, lots of creative energy is being applied to alternative energy. The time may finally have come for these three champions of on-the-verge
technologies.
(30) New source of power at landfill
http://thestar.com.my/lifesty...
A WASTE landfill is not only to dispose of our daily discards. It can also provide a valuable commodity – energy. Gas emanating from dumps can be collected and
combusted to produce electricity, as is happening at the Ayer Hitam Landfill in Puchong, Selangor.
(31 Engineers Invent Ethanol Reactor Capable of Producing Hydrogen
http://www.news.farmpage.com/...
Through funding from the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council and the University of Minnesota's Initiative for
Renewable Energy and the Environment, engineers at the university have invented the first reactor capable of efficiently producing hydrogen from ethanol.
( Certain American's have been producing their own Ethanol for many years from corn. Now they can make H2 from it to fuel their Still. I love progress. ED.)
(32) Fuel Free-for-all
http://timesofindia.indiatime...
Forget the so-called 'philosopher's stone' which alchemists believe could turn base metal into gold. Forget the perpetual motion machine. The greatest dream of
science is cold fusion.
( Yeah, as if. Most people don't have a clue. Low energy fusion reactions are really easy to do, but no one mentions that. They focus on the cold fusion thing instead.
Or on the Tokamak hot fusion money pit. Let's not look at what IS possible though...no,no..then we might accidentally build something that actually works. ED.)
(33) Additional Detail on the Michelin/PSI HY-LIGHT Prototype
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
Michelin is providing a bit more information on the HY-LIGHT hydrogen fuel cell concept car, including a simplified schematic (at right). Developed in partnership with the
Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), the HY-LIGHT made its debut at the Challenge Bibendum in Shanghai this year. (Earlier post.)The lightweight car (850 kg) uses Michelin’s
Active Wheel units—electric traction motors combined with an active electric suspension—mounted in the front wheels. Supercapacitors store the electricity generated
by braking. Michelin designed the HY-LIGHT with the expectation of using H2 and O2 generated via electrolysis and stored in separate on-board tanks at up to 350 bar
(5,000 psi).With pressurized oxygen stored on-board, the HY-LIGHT fuel cell does not require an on-board compressor to pump air through it to provide the source of
oxygen through the fuel cell. Compressors add weight and power consumption, and ambient air contains components the fuel cell doesn’t require, such as nitrogen and
CO2.
(34) British Steam Car Challenge
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
The BBC profiles Glynne Bowsher, chief designer, and the British Steam Car Challenge team in their quest to break the steam-car speed record with their vehicle,
Inspiration. The extant record was set in 1906 by a Stanley Steamer that reached 127.659 mph.
( This sounds like a lot of fun. Kind of like Soap Box Derby for big boys. ED.)
(35) Grass Growing...in Antarctica
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
Grass has become established in Antarctica, showing the continent is warming to temperatures unseen for 10,000 years.Scientists have reported that broad areas of
grass are now forming turf where there were once ice-sheets and glaciers.Tufts have previously grown on patches of Antarctica in summer, but the scientists have now
observed larger areas surviving winter and spreading in the summer months.“Grass has taken a grip. There are very rapid changes going on in the Antarctic’s climate,
allowing grass to colonise areas that would once have been far too cold,” said Pete Convey, an ecologist conducting research with the British Antarctic Survey.
( But the Bush Administration still doesn't believe in Global Warming? Oh well, look at the bright side, now Mickey D's has some new grazing land for cattle. ED. )
(36) First H2ICE Hybrid Transit Bus in Service
http://www.greencarcongress.c...
The SunLine Transit Agency in Palm Springs, CA, has put the first H2ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) series hybrid transit bus into service.
(37) Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
http://solutions.synearth.net...
(38) Permafrost Not So Permanent
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sc...
In parts of Fairbanks, Alaska, houses and buildings lean at odd angles. Some slump as if sliding downhill. Windows and doors inch closer and closer to the ground. It
is an architectural landscape that is becoming more familiar as the world's ice-rich permafrost gives way to thaw.
(39) Designing the World's Future
http://futurepositive.syneart...
Today, the future of most of the people, and indeed the future of the whole world, is decided by only a few, who, in most cases, do not even represent anybody else,
but themselves and their groups.
( Seems to me it has been this way for a very, very long time. ED.)
(40) Who Owns the World's Oil?
http://solutions.synearth.net...
The struggles over the ownership of the two most important political liquids of this era, petroleum and water, have had different fates....
Notice: For information on advertising rates or to make suggestions email me at: enki@chilitech.net All original material in this newsletter is assumed to be
copyrighted by the source from which it originates. My stories are also copyrighted from the date they are published.
|
|
19 Comments
|
| |
| Pictures of me |
| 01.01.05 (10:17 am) |
For any readers who might want to know what I look like I posted a couple of pictures on photobucket. One is from like 1986 and the other more recent.
URL: http://photobucket.com/albums...
Have fun and happy new year,
MJ
|
|
9 Comments
|
| |
| Pictures of me |
| 01.01.05 (10:16 am) |
For any readers who might want to know what I look like I posted a couple of pictures on photobucket. One is from like 1986 and the other more recent.
URL: http://photobucket.com/albums...
Have fun and happy new year,
MJ
|
|
0 Comments
|
| |
|
|
|
