Honda's no pollution car

Getting behind the wheel of any new car is a tad nerve wracking, but being entrusted with something worth around £5 million is enough to induce a cold sweat.

Honda's latest concept car, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell engine
Somewhat rashly Honda invited me to get behind the wheel of its latest concept car, a vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell engine. The car is filled with hydrogen rather than petrol and is the world's fastest high performance zero emissions car.

The hydrogen is pushed through a "fuel stack" somewhere beneath the arm rest between the driver and passenger, where it is converted into electricity which powers the engine. While conventional cars give out varying amounts of C02, this rather sleek beast emits only water vapour.

Transport for London has been part of an EU project testing the technology on buses and many of the major companies are trying to develop the ultimately ecologically friendly car.
There are already hybrids such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic, which are powered by a combination of petrol and electricity and, though their carbon emissions are much lower, there is some debate about their fuel economy.

Cars such as Saab's dual fuel car run on any bio-fuel, but they are losing ecological brownie points from some who argue that they are merely depleting another valuable resource.
The latest Honda car is their third crack at the technology. The previous two sounded a bit like high-technology washing machines, with a tendency to hum rather than roar. Now the fuel stack - the box which converts the hydrogen and oxygen into electricity -has shrunk, making the new version radically different to drive.

The Honda car can travel up to 100 mph and is due to go into production in small numbers in Japan next year, where owners will be able to lease one for upwards of £250 a month. Unfortunately, the only hydrogen fuel station in Britain is in Hornchurch, east London, (20p a litre) meaning that Honda's green machine may never take to the roads in its present form, but the engine technology could become commonplace, perhaps within a decade.

My contribution was not to crash the concept car.

David Millward for daily Telegraph, UK (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/06/29/eabio229.xml)

Greenhouse!

Greenhouse!!!!!

What's that?

The greenhouse effect is a term that describes how natural gases in the earth's atmosphere reduce the amount of heat escaping from the earth into the atmosphere. The more of these gases there are, the more the earth heats up.

These gases act like a blanket around the earth - they allow the sun's rays in to warm the earth's surface, but they also prevent much of the heat escaping. It is a bit like car windows on a sunny day - they allow the sun's rays in to heat up the car, but prevent much of the heat escaping. That is why the inside of your car is warmer than the outside air on sunny days.
Greenhouse gases are a natural part of the atmosphere. They trap the sun's warmth, and maintain the earth's surface temperature at a level necessary to support life. The problem we now face is that human actions - particularly the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) and land clearing - are increasing the concentrations of these gases, creating the prospect of global climate change. This is called the enhanced greenhouse effect.

The enhanced greenhouse effect?

Increases in the earth's temperature can occur naturally as a result of climatic fluctuations caused, for example, by solar cycles and changes in the sun's radiation. Human activity such as burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) and land clearing, however, are increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These additional gases are like additional blankets around the earth. They allow the sun's energy to reach the earth's surface, but they prevent more heat escaping. This means that the earth slowly heats up. This is called the enhanced greenhouse effect - it causes global warming and it is changing our climate.

What are greenhouse gases?

Greenhouse gases are a natural part of the atmosphere. It is the increase in the amounts of these gases through human activity that causes global warming. Human activity such as land clearing and burning fossil fuels have increased the concentration of these gases. Humans have had most impact on the enhanced greenhouse effect through increases in the amounts of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

Water vapour: Water vapour is the most important greenhouse gas, but human activity has little direct impact on the amount in the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide (CO2): The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is about 30% higher now than 200 years ago. The main causes of this increase are the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas to create energy to make electricity and to produce fuel for transport, and the clearing and burning of vegetation. This gas is the biggest contributor to the enhanced greenhouse effect (about 70%).
Methane (CH4): The amount of methane in the atmosphere is about 145% higher now than 200 years ago. The main causes of this increase are:
- digestive processes of cattle and sheep (ie their burps!)
- cultivation of rice
- escape of natural gas
- decomposing waste in garbage dumps or landfills
This gas is the second biggest contributor to the enhanced greenhouse effect (about 20%)
Nitrous oxide (N2O): The amount of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere is about 15% higher now than 200 years ago. The main causes of this increase are:
- burning of vegetation
- emissions from industries
- the effects of agriculture on the soil (using nitrogenous fertilisers)
- Halocarbons

These greenhouse gases have been reduced since the phasing out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to protect the ozone layer. However, other halocarbons effecting the atmosphere include perfluorocarbons (PFCs) emitted during aluminium production.

Coutesy: www.deh.gov.au/atmosphere/ozone/index.html

The NIMBY Factor

A well known wind energy fact lies within the opposition usually met from a proposed wind farm site and this is down to the "NIMBY" factor (not in my backyard). Everyone likes the idea of a wind farm proposal to provide clean, cheap electricity from wind energy, yet how many of these people would like a wind farm within one mile of their home? The "NIMBY" factor is something we are going to have to get used to and be prepared to live with in future decades.

In 2007 it is estimated that only 1 - 2% of the worlds energy supply comes from a renewable wind energy source. In some smaller countries (such as Denmark) the fact that they are able to provide between 20 and 40% of the country's energy demand through the use of renewable wind energy, shows the potential of wind energy and that this just becomes a way of life.

(Above is a picture of wind turbines in Copenhagen, Denmark)

Courtesy: http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/wind_turbines.html

and http://www.windaction.org/

Living on Mars?

With situation degrading each day on our planet earth, one starts thinking how could life be on Mars...a eutopia where everyone is happy or something similar to what the earth is currently... will depend on the inhabitants!