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From: wall@fortune.UUCP (Jim Wall)
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.physics
Subject: Re: perpetual motion(the suppression of liquid hydrogen, a clean fuel)
Message-ID: <5154@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 28-Mar-85 11:58:05 EST
Article-I.D.: fortune.5154
Posted: Thu Mar 28 11:58:05 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 29-Mar-85 00:26:42 EST
References: <608@vortex.UUCP> <491@spp2.UUCP> <706@mhuxt.UUCP> <2085@sun.uucp>
Reply-To: wall@fortune.UUCP (Jim wall)
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 31
Xref: watmath net.misc:7682 net.physics:2333

In article <2085@sun.uucp> sunny@sun.uucp (Ms. Sunny Kirsten) writes:
>There is only ONE renewable energy resource on this planet:  Solar Energy.
>If you take a large solar collector array, and plug the electrodes into the
>ocean, you get hydrogen and oxymorons.  Bottle the hydrogen, put it into
>the tanks of the hydrogen burning cars (which burn it catalytically in
>a fuel cell) and you get electricity to run your electric motor).  There,
>wasn't that easier than mounting a collector array on your car or running
>at the end of a long extension cord?  No pollution!  (As long as we make
>solar collectors cleanly).  Now, what was the problem?

   This all brings back the old national forensics league debating that
was I got trapped in so long ago. Solar is wonderful, solar is fabulous,
solar is also so terribly inefficient that it is worthless as a  *major*
energy producer. Allow me to clearify...

   For small usages such as house heating, and minor electricity production
solar is only expensive. Works pretty good unless the energy has
to be stored for use at night and cloudy days, then you have major losses
associated with the transfer of th energy.  However, any time a large
amount of energy needs to be produced, such as lighting Las Vegas, firing
up NASA's wind tunnel, or producing usable amounts of hydrogen it just
doesn't make it. You need so much area covered by solar arrays that it
is impractical. It can be calculated how much, I don't have my debate
cards anymore, but I'm sure the net has people just dying to look things
up. I won't even get into the environmental porblems and atmospheric 
problems of establishing large solar arrays.

   Don't take my word though, nor the words of all the scientists who
have done the calculations, check it out for yourself. 

							-Jim