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Tech-Op-ed September, 2022 SOUNDING OFF


By Walter Salm, Editor Emeritus


Clean Green Energy: Hydrogen May be the Answer


O


ut of control wildfires, massive floods, tornados and hurricanes, glacial melting — the increasing frequency of these natural disasters is a stark reminder that global warming is no longer an issue of the future.


Average temperatures have shifted so much that England is now producing fine wines while French vineyards are in trouble. Every few days we see more glaciers disappearing, contributing to a rise in sea level which can devastate low-lying islands and heavily-populated coastal areas. Loss of habitat threat- ens animal species everywhere. What is our response? We still burn fossil fuels, knowing full well their


impact. Green substitutes are close at hand, but are complex and costly to install. Many nations have no option but to burn cheap and readily avail- able coal. Too much emphasis is being placed on all-electric vehicles, to the ex-


clusion of other solutions. There has been some dissatisfaction over new battery-powered vehicles because of the high cost of using public charging stations, and the higher cost for faster charging. This electricity has to come from somewhere, with 61 percent of it generated by fossil-fueled power plants. The carbon footprint of all-electric vehicles is shifted from the high- way, but is still there at the plant nonetheless. Despite advances in wind turbines and solar power, these sources depend


on wind, sun and batteries to generate and store electricity. The burden of green energy’s shortfalls is borne by the power grid. In addition, lithium-ion batteries have yet to prove their safety. Lithi-


um is highly combustible. It will catch fire simply from contact with the hu- midity in our atmosphere, requiring batteries to be tightly sealed. Not long ago, Boeing had to ground all of its then brand-new 787 Dreamliners glob- ally because of fires caused by lithium batteries. The fix for the problem was costly, but Dreamliners are back in service. The fact that more electric cars have not caught on fire is due to stringent and costly safeguards, along with a lot of pure luck. The solution is threefold: hydrogen-powered automobiles, renewable


energy (wind turbines and solar panels), and nuclear power. However, hydrogen has its own challenges. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles


are only available in limited quantities at price points comparable to Tesla electrics. These are all-electric vehicles with the same neck-popping accel- eration that we’ve come to expect from battery-electric automobiles. Hydrogen-powered cars take no more time to fill up than conventional


gas-guzzlers, but the infrastructure is largely nonexistent — except in some parts of California. Hydrogen exists on Earth only in compounds, such as water, requiring extraction, itself an energy-gobbling process. Today’s commercially manufactured hydrogen comes from steam re-


forming of methane (natural gas), oil reforming or coal gasification. These processes all require energy and leave lots of global-warming gas in their wake.


Totally green hydrogen can be extracted from water by electrolysis.


The “ideal” hydrogen refueling station would be able to do its own reform- ing with electric power from rooftop solar cells. The exhaust given off by the fuel cell powered automobile is water vapor, thus completing the green cy- cle.


Fossil fuels are still plentiful, yet the reality of global warming is once


again making nuclear power an enticing option, including interest in small- er nuclear plants that can be built quicker and cheaper than the ones we are accustomed to. They can be assembled in factories and installed wher- ever they are needed. Sure, they cost more than burning coal, but this new generation of nuclear energy is clean and green. Finally, don’t dismiss nuclear fusion as a possible power source. A


massive new research tokomak — a gigantic magnetic fusion generator — is under construction in France and this could lead to a practical fusion power source some time in the future. But, don’t hold your breath. While fu- sion looks good on paper, past experiments have been dismal failures, re- quiring more energy going into the tokomak than it has been able to pro- duce.


Global warming is going to get worse before it gets better. But by at-


tacking greenhouse gases on several levels — wind farms, solar power, green hydrogen motor vehicles, and nuclear power — we can still save our planet and our civilization. r


PUBLISHER’S NOTE


By Jacob Fattal Publisher


EV Market to Drive Future Growth


W


ith summer largely behind us, we’re gearing up for an exciting fall season with many trade shows and exhibitions to cover. This issue includes a preview of products and materials from four shows: The


Battery Show, IMAPS, SMTA Guadalajara, and BIOMEDevice. Green, or renewable, energy has come to the forefront as advances and


investment in solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and other forms fur- ther show their value to the power grid and to the planet. At present, about 20 percent of U.S. utility-scale electricity comes from renewable sources. This segment is expected to grow, and is being aided by massive recent in- vestments by the U.S. federal government. With more electric vehicles hitting the roads every day, the EV market


is expected to quadruple in size over the next several years. Recent surveys have revealed that 7 out of 10 drivers would be interested in buying an elec- tric vehicle, provided the costs come down and the infrastructure is expand- ed. Also, advances in robotics, AI and Internet of Things (IoT) technology are propelling the market toward fully autonomous EVs. While the consumer electric vehicle market dominates the headlines,


the commercial use of EVs for last-mile delivery, especially electric vans, may be the most lucrative. Amazon plans to introduce 100,000 electric de- livery vans by 2030, in collaboration with Rivian. Since 2021, Amazon has already delivered nearly half a million packages and accumulated over 90,000 miles using electric delivery vehicles. All signs point to a strong end to 2022 and an excellent 2023. The great response we’ve received from all our industry colleagues is


proof that the electronics manufacturing community is growing healthier. While most domestic shows have not yet reached pre-pandemic attendance, this fall will be a good indication of our progress. In this issue we also have a very special guest appearance by Walter


Salm, Editor Emeritus. While formally retired, he has been kind enough to contribute a timely column on green energy which appears opposite this piece. This issue we’ve finalized and published our new editorial and trade show calendar for the upcoming year, which can be found on page 88. If you’re


interested in promoting your company in U.S. Tech through editorial and advertis- ing, our 2023 Media Kit is also now avail- able on our website. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions! r


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