Hydrogen TRUTH wrote:
> I know point four sounds like a reversion to the PR angle, and in a
> way, it is. But I've pointed out before that what gets measured gets
> accomplished. GE is incredibly specific in the metrics it has
> established to measure its environmental performance, even pointing
> out areas where it missed the targets, like wastewater exceedances.
GE is one of the few companies I have always admired. They believe on
management from the bottom up; sole problems at the lowest possible
level. Their straw bosses have incredible authority, and that is the way
is should be. I'm sure that there are more than a few of them have
shouted that "The emperor has no clothes!"
> I'm not sure exceedances is really a word (my spell check says not),
> but GE uses it to measure wastewater spills that exceed local limits,
> no matter how small (which, by the way, totaled 101 in 2005 --
> slightly up from 2004 but significantly down from 2003). I don't know
> of another company that's taking as comprehensive an approach to
> measuring its environmental performance.
About 15 years ago, Japan announced an all-out effort at artificial
intelligence. I think the called the 4th generation technology.
Today we see them as world leaders in robotics, and in smart cameras,
video image motion compensators, VCRs, and the like. They presumed first
hand that there are solutions for problems and set out to find them.
So it is also for US energy independence.
> * Wind energy: Engineers are developing a next-generation offshore
> wind turbine that will be one of the most powerful in the world.
A very important phase in US economic evolution was our 19th century
Clipper Ships, aka "windjammers", that dominated world commerce. Dewy,
Manila, Whaling, Madam Butterfly, all came from this era. There, WIND
POWER made the difference.
> * Solar energy: GE already manufactures solar electric power
> systems. Scientists are working on the big hurdle of making the
> technology affordable enough to be viable on a large scale. Impress
> your friends at the next party by calling solar energy technology
> photovoltaics.
Solar power dictates our corn belt output, soy beans, all for export.
> * Hydrogen energy: We all know hydrogen power is the way of the
> future: clean, carbon-free, and environmentally friendly. I assumed
> someone was working on making it a reality, but I had no idea who or
> how. GE says the biggest challenge is finding solutions to store
> hydrogen on a large scale. It thinks the answer is metal hydride
> storage, whatever that means.
Hydrides: That's what powers the no-contact gas stove lighters. The
dirty little secret, the heating as the hydrogen molecules burrow into
the rare earth metal tip that gets red hot and thus ignites the gas
flame, is also a horrible energy loss when stoing large amounts of
hydrogen for vehicle use, to avoid super high pressure storage tanks.
All the heat thrown off as the hydrogen burrows into the metal storage
mass has to be re-applied in the vehicle to spring the hydrogen back out
for combustion. You win one. You loose one.
I have long been an exponent of finding a binding agent that also can
double as an energy source (unlike rare earth metals). I have FOUND one;
carbon!. A nice step away from metal hydrides is to use carbon hydrides.
The first hydride that comes to mind is where four hydrogen atoms hook
up with one carbon. Some folks call it "methane". It liquefies at not
too low a temperature. Add another carbon (to then hold six hydrogen),
and that stuff liquefies at handy temperatures. Some folks call it
"propane".
> * Cleaner coal: GE is exploring how to improve the Integrated
> Gasification Combined Cycle system (IGCC for short), which will help
> convert coal into a cleaner-burning fuel. I'm not a scientist myself,
> but my vote would be to stop burning coal altogether.
For those that can't afford the oil ransom soon to be demanded by the
arabs and communists, coal offers a pesky and dirty alternative (used by
Germany towards the end of W.W.II when we bombed out the Ploesti oil
fields).
> * Geothermal heat: This involves generating electricity from heat
> sources within 3-5 kilometers of the Earth's crust. It's pretty hot
> down there.
You don't have to go more than 100 feet under any US house to find
plenty of heat that can be retrieved by a heat pump, and replenished in
the summer.
> Making money from green
If anyone can, GE will.
(I own some GE stock, so I'm sitting OK)
> People make the difference
> This doesn't happen on its own; it takes people. GE has four Global
> Research Centers located in China, Germany, India, and New York.
It's just doing what industries in all other major countries are doing;
buying the other guy's valuable assets. It's good business. Siemens is
here, French Total Chemie, BP, many others. IBM is in France and other
countries.
Angelo Campanella
