HYDROGEN CONVERSION
RHF'S TECHNOLOGY
THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY
WHY DO WE NEED A NEW HYDROGEN ECONOMY
PYROLOSIS, NOT HYDROLYSIS

Why do we need a new Hydrogen Economy?

During the last century, humankind experienced unprecedented scientific advancement, technological innovation, economic growth and improvements in the average standard of living. These benefits largely resulted from the “Era of Cheap Oil.” The automobile, the airplane, paved roads and plastics, along with thousands of other inventions now in everyday use, were made viable by the advent of cheap, power packed, easily transportable liquid energy.

But the “Era of Cheap Oil” is just about over. We’ve used approximately half of all the oil that will ever be produced, and our rate of use is increasing. Worldwide oil production rapidly is approaching its peak at the same time that India and China are falling in love with the automobile. Can you imagine what will happen to oil prices when all the wells are pumping full out, and nearly four billion more people want to fill their tanks?

But surely that could never happen, could it? Somebody’s got to find more oil somewhere, don’t they? Aren’t there still major, untapped deposits in Siberia, the Arctic Circle, or under the ocean?

No.

There are no major untapped deposits that will provide enough producible oil to fill the gap. Over the last thirty years – since the first oil crisis, in 1973 – the entire planet has been probed, prodded and X-rayed with the most sophisticated technology available. Geologists now know pretty much what’s under the surface of the whole globe. Yes, there is oil shale in Utah and Colorado and yes, there are tar sands in Alberta. Yes, there are vast deposits of coal under Illinois and much of the rest of the country. There are even some sizeable reserves of petroleum in remote locations that have not yet gone into production.

All of these will help, but they won’t be enough to forestall the coming crunch. Back in 1956, a geologist named M. King Hubbert predicted that oil production in the United States would reach its peak in the early 1970’s. At first, his professional colleagues laughed. But by 1973, reality had proven Hubbert’s models correct. When applied to global oil, these models predict the world will reach its peak oil production sometime between 2005 and 2010.

It is not that we will “run out of oil.” We may never run out of oil. However, as Henry Groppe, an energy consultant from Houston, says, "I have these discussions with my grandchildren. They say, ‘Gramps, are we going to run out of oil?' I say, 'No. Many years ago we ran out of $2 oil. Then we ran out of $10 oil. Then we ran out of $20 oil. And now we're running out of $40 oil.'" As demand grows and production peaks, the “Era of Cheap Oil” clearly is at an end.

The question is not whether there will be pain associated with “Hubbert’s Peak.” The question is: How bad will it hurt? Unfettered increases in the price of oil will send shock waves through the global economy. In the West, many families will have to cut back their expenditures, something many already have had to do in the face of recent high prices. Energy will become a much higher fraction of families’ monthly budget. Gasoline prices are likely to double, then double again. Home heating costs will rival mortgage payments for some people.

Corporate profits and stock prices will be profoundly affected as industries attempt to adjust to skyrocketing energy costs. Interest rates will soar in response to capital shortages and escalating inflation. Countless jobs will be lost as companies, large and small, strive to simply stay afloat.

The picture is even worse for much of the Developing World, where increasing energy costs already are hurting those who live closest to the margin. As the cost of fuel to grow and transport food rises, it’s likely that tens of thousands more children will die of starvation or disease each year in the coming decade. Scarcity of basic staples could produce more civil wars and political instability, resulting in additional horrors.

Back when United States’ production peaked, in 1970, creating an Energy Crisis, gas lines, price swings, and chaos occurred. This should provide an idea of what is ahead. The big difference is that in 1970 the United States had the option of switching to foreign oil. As global production peaks, where will the world turn?

There is some good news. New technologies for renewable fuels, such as those on which the Biomass Energy Foundation is at work, offer the promise of a brighter future for all. Clean, safe, and abundant energy is available if we will only begin to use it. Nature has provided the resources – our ingenuity is the key that will unlock their potential.