(At least one nation's leadership has the "vision thing")
First Hydrogen Economy (BBC) - As world leaders head for the earth summit in Johannesburg, Iceland is embarking on a radical plan to abolish the burning of fossil fuels altogether - by transforming itself into the world's first "hydrogen economy". It aims to run all its transport and even its huge fishing fleet on hydrogen produced in Iceland itself. Over the next 30 years, it aims to do away with polluting fossil fuels like petrol and diesel altogether and replace them with what could be the cleanest fuel on earth. These plans could reduce Iceland's greenhouse gas emissions by 50%. To make hydrogen you need water and electricity. Iceland has plenty of water. It can also produce electricity cheaply and cleanly, hydropower from its glacial rivers and waterfalls. From its craters and crevices, huge stores of underground heat. Only 5% of geothermal power has been tapped so far. One day, Iceland thinks it could use it to provide enough green electricity to make hydrogen for itself and to export to other parts of the world. When water is zapped with electricity and electrolysed, it splits into oxygen and hydrogen. In Iceland they'll use geothermal and hydropower to make that clean electricity. The hydrogen fuel can then be used to power an electric motor via fuel cells in a vehicle acting like a generator. The only emission is pure water. Icelanders won't have to wait long to board hydrogen-powered vehicles. Next spring, the first buses fuelled by hydrogen arrive on the streets of Reykjavik. For years Bragi Arnason was dismissed as a crank. Now they're listening. Professor BRAGI ARNASON (Chemistry Department, Reykjavik University): "Our vision is that when we have transformed Iceland into a hydrogen economy, then we are completely independent of imported fossil fuel. There will be no greenhouse gas emissions from our fuel." More at - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/archive/2208013.stm
