Japan Tests the Fuel of the Future
Japan is energy poor. That is, the country must import so much to meet its energy needs.
Enter a new and ambitious program to use fuel cells to light, heat and cool their homes.
Beginning with the PM's house in 2005, Japan now has 3,000 households signed as part of the "hydrogen society."
The use of fuel cells for practical use was first implemented in 1965 aboard Gemini 5.
Can you say "Thank you, NASA?"
Hydrogen can be extracted from:
1. hydrocarbons
2. natural gas
3. bio mass
4. water?
5. rubbish
to create methane.
No CO2 is emitted. And, besides producing electricity, fuel cells ensure a steady supply of hot water. The fuel cell apparatus is silent.
Japan has almost know natural energy of its own and must depend on imported crude oil and energy efficient appliances.
Energy giants, Nippon Oil, Tokyo Gas, Sanyo Electric, Toshiba, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Toyota Motor, are behind the push to use fuel cells.
The system costs about Y2 million ($19K). The goal is for the system to be priced one-fourth of that by 2015.
