April 22, 2005 |
"Both renewable and non-renewable forms of hydrogen come with many
different names to describe them. "
- Tai W. Robinson, RE Insider
I want you to be able to use a locally produced fuel that decreases your
transportation cost and reduces airborne emissions. Why pay more for dirtier,
life threatening oil from foreign sources?
I know of seven "alternative" fuels that people use today that can all
be obtained at less cost than gasoline or diesel. All of these options
contribute to the good health of our economy, and of Earth's inhabitants.
Propane has been used successfully in gasoline engines as a motor fuel for
decades. Its price used to be much cheaper before current taxes. Most all of the
country can enjoy this slightly cleaner than gasoline fuel at a lower cost than
premium unleaded. As of October, 2004, Dallas had the highest propane prices at
$1.93 per gallon of gasoline equivalent (g.g.e.) Billings, MT reported the
lowest price at $1.22 per g.g.e.
Propane can also be used to boost performance of compression ignition engines.
Pilot point ignition of propane on top of diesel or biodiesel increases
combustion. This will provide more horsepower while reducing exhaust gas
emissions. This is great for saving time and money while towing heavy loads.
Biodiesel is an amazing replacement for diesel fuel, because it can be used
directly without any modifications. Biodiesel can be produced from any fatty
ester such as fresh plant oils, animal fat or used cooking oils. When mixing
these oils with the proper amounts of methanol, or ethanol and lye, an
individual can produce their own fuel for as little as $0.70 cents per gallon.
Biodiesel can be purchased at commercial fuel stations and regional co-ops
around the country right now. Dallas has the lowest price B-20 (20% bio, 80%
petro) for $1.72 per gallon and Honolulu sells B-100 for $2.15. For anyone
driving a vehicle that requires diesel, biodiesel is clearly the alternative.
Among the many advantages of this non-toxic fuel is the fact that it is produced
by American farmers. In some engines, especially the older, dirtier, more worn
in ones, biodiesel reduces friction. This can provide increased horsepower and
miles per gallon while reducing visible smoke and nasty smell.
Another option for compression ignition engines is straight veggie oil, (SVO)
from raw, virgin oil. Or waste veggie oil, (WVO) from the grease traps of the
nation. This stuff straight, or filtered is not the same as biodiesel, but is
what Rudolph Diesel designed his engine to run on which debuted at the Worlds
Fair in Paris, 1900. Talk about cheap fuel, some restaurants will pay you to
haul away their waste oil, so you can actually get paid to fill your tank!
Going back further to Germany in the mid 1800s, a man named Nicolaus Otto
developed a cycle to run what we now know as the 4-stroke internal combustion
engine (ICE). Although there were a variety of fuels available to run this new
engine on, Otto chose producer gas. Producer gas, also called Towns gas or lamp
fuel is basically carbonated hydrogen. Otto chose this fuel not because of its
wide availability, but because it was safer than the new alternative. Benzene
was then the new alternative and is now what we know as a component of gasoline.
Today we have two different kinds of hydrogen available for use as a motor fuel.
Both renewable and non-renewable forms of hydrogen come with many different
names to describe them. The least desirable H2 is what I call "caged"
hydrogen. This could be considered "dirty" hydrogen made from non
renewable sources. This "black" hydrogen is available from a low of
$4.50 per kilo derived from grid powered electrolysis, to a high of over $100
per kilo from the steam reformation of methane. A kilo of hydrogen has almost
exactly as many BTU's as a gallon of gasoline. However, when hydrogen is burned
in an internal combustion engine (H2ICE), you can expect roughly twice as many
miles per kilo as you would get miles per gallon. This makes the cost of dirty
hydrogen anywhere from 2x times, up to 50x times the cost of gasoline.
The good news is we have a clean, green and renewable source of hydrogen at much
lower cost. When hydrogen is produced through electrolysis of water using
renewable, or solar, electricity, we get what I call "free-range"
hydrogen. At Arizona Public Service, in downtown Phoenix, they offer
"green" hydrogen for $2.25 per kilo. This breakthrough allows
motorists to operate their vehicle for one-half the cost of gasoline.
Solar-derived hydrogen is the cleanest fuel available. Hydrogen not only keeps
your engine oil clean, but burning it can produce cleaner air out the tailpipe
than the air we breathe in any metropolitan city.
Methane is another fuel that has two distinct varieties. Most of the natural gas
used for vehicles today, whether liquefied at cold temperatures, or compressed
to high pressure comes from oil wells and coal mines. Although this supply is
finite, natural gas in Utah is .91 cents per g.g.e. today. At that price, CNG is
less than half the cost of gasoline!
Natural gas does have greatly reduced exhaust emissions when burned in an
engine. Since this fuel is so clean, the oil in your engine stays clean a lot
longer and can increase the life of your engine. This reduces maintenance costs
which in the long run can save fleet operators and individual's lots of time and
money.
There is a very large, untapped source for "renewable" methane in this
country. Piling up in feed lots, brewing in land fills and bubbling out of
sewage is a usable fuel that would be much better put to use for transportation
than allowed to escape into Earth's atmosphere. We can also make bio gas from
grass clippings and other decomposing matter. Collecting these gasses and
compressing them for use as a motor fuel is easy and inexpensive. This is the
clean fuel of choice in Sweden. With renewable natural gas we can support our
local farmers, bolster our economy and increase our nation's security. Most of
the components that refuel and make an engine burn natural gas are the same
components needed to run hydrogen through any engine. By embracing natural gas,
we get one step closer to a hydrogen powered future.
Another locally produced fuel we can use right now with these same benefits is
ethanol. Today there are millions of flex-fuel vehicles on the road that can use
either gasoline, or up to 85 percent ethanol. Although more E-85 pumps are being
installed at gas stations everyday, we could use a whole lot more to meet the
demand of existing vehicles. When ethanol is produced in large quantities in
"energy parks", where multiple industries are using each other's
waste, the fuel is efficient and economical. In Columbus, Ohio, a gallon of E-85
sells for $1.43 and the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition regularly promotes
E-85 at stations around the nation for .85 cents a gallon.
Individuals can also produce alcohol from a still at their business, school or
residence to save money on fuel and reduce their use of gasoline. You do not
need a flex-fuel vehicle to use this American made fuel. Just about any car out
there, without modification, can use up to 30% ethanol mixed with gasoline.
Ethanol can lower tailpipe emissions, but when used in a non flex-fuel vehicle a
fuel economy loss of about 10% will result. Depending on the cost of ethanol
available to you this can still add up to a savings to your pocket book.
While natural gas is paving the highway to hydrogen, today's electric cars are
building a bridge to fuel cell vehicles. There are many capable electric
vehicles today. With a charger at home and one at work or onboard your EV, you
can be charging your vehicle whenever it is parked. Your fuel cost will depend
on the price of electricity available to you. The current electricity market
lists New York with the highest price per kilo watt hour at $0.12 cents. West
Virginia has the lowest electricity prices at 5.3 cents per kWh. With the
current electric vehicle and quick charger station project in Hawaii you do not
even have to wait eight hours for a full charge of your EV's batteries. While
shopping or taking a lunch break on the island of Oahu, the batteries on an EV
can obtain an 80 percent charge in just 20 - 30 minutes! With 11 quick charge
stations on the island, EV's are a practical and economical way to travel around
this forward thinking community. Electric vehicles also reduce an often
overlooked pollution, noise.
The only way to grow demand for these cleaner, safer, healthier and more
economical fuels is to let people know about their benefits. Most people do not
know these options exist. When in reality they are not new, it is just that we
are coming full circle in our fuel choices and returning to the fuels that
engines were originally intended to run on. That is why I implore you to join
the clean fuel revolution. If you put E85 in your SUV, put a sticker on it too
that lets people know you are using less gasoline. If your trade in your car for
a CNG vehicle to have the ability to use in the car pool lane with only a single
occupant, tell your co-workers about this time and money saving advantage. If
you drive a diesel truck, school bus, or big rig, fill it up with biodiesel.
Your engine will love it and all the kids breathing the exhaust will thank you.
If an EV or neighborhood EV can fit your needs, then use it for errands or short
commutes and leave your family hauler parked at home. If you can afford the
initial investment to convert your vehicle's engine to run on hydrogen, you will
be paid back continually through less expensive "solar" hydrogen and
through the do good factor. If you simply must use petroleum, get a hybrid and
burn less of it.
About the author...
Tai Robinson drives his H2TOY Tacoma to renewable energy events around America
using hydrogen, natural gas and ethanol to promote the clean fuel revolution. In
2003 his truck made history by leading Dennis Weaver's Drive to Survive from
coast to coast using compressed hydrogen for fuel. Tai teaches about the
benefits of cleaner fuels to government officials, business owners, fleet
operators and students at primary schools and universities. Tai got his start in
energy conservation very early on by watching his father convert engines to run
on hydrogen. Later on while Tai was in school he also became a champion athlete
competing on the World Cup tour as an Aerialist for the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team.
Since then, Tai has joined forces with his father, Fred Robinson to create
Intergalactic Hydrogen, a vehicle conversion and technology advancement
enterprise offering cleaner fuel vehicles to fleets and retail customers. To
learn more about how you can declare energy independence visit the following
link.
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