THE HYDROGEN OPTION FOR ENERGY - A REVIEW OF TECHNICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC-ASPECTS

Hydrogen, within technical spheres, has not yet obtained, generally, sound validity as an integrating fuel. Apart from the cost of production, the main reason seems to be a safety problem. In the present article, the author tries to contribute to the ''cause'' of this excellent element, as a wholly non-polluting fuel and an acceptably reliable one. The article is divided into five parts. The first is concerned with CO2 production by combustion throughout the planet, and its effect on the earth's temperature. The second part is a comparative technical and environmental outline of different kinds of fuel: methane, pit-coal, gasoline, hydrogen. Thirdly, some qualitative indices are defined: pollution, flammability, expansion or explosivity index. In the fourth part the stages of a solar-hydrogen cycle are presented. The final part treats the economic aspects, and offers a comparative survey of the above-mentioned fuels.