From: Rüdiger Koch (rkoch@rkoch.org)
Date: Wed Apr 17 2002 - 06:10:01 MDT
On Wednesday 17 April 2002 14:13, Eugen Leitl wrote:
> On Wed, 17 Apr 2002, Rüdiger Koch wrote:
> > You guys are pretty negative. Given the quantities this is about I'd say
> > that even a 1% chance to overcome the problems should warrant to put
> > EUR100M into investigating that. It's clear that traditional mining and
> > driving out the
>
> Much better R&D ROI on thin-film photovoltaics, high-efficiency water
> electrolysis and fuel cells. I would even considered putting it into
> alternative higher-risk scenarios, like developing an artificial
> photosynthetic center that is cheap and stable enough for practical use.
This is all good stuff, particularly fuel cells, which is why there is no
public funding needed for this. I think I remember announcements by
Daimler-Chrysler and Honda to enter the market with fuel cell driven cars in
a few years. Lots of companies invest heavily in all kinds of methods to make
electricity/fuel out of light.
There is no hope to raise capital when the time frame for ROI is as long as
here. When investments are in the national interest but don't improve the
shareholder value, govt has to do it. Just think of space flight. Without
govt support we would not have a single satellite up there today.
I did not advocate to put 100M into this. I am just advocating to take *any*
idea serious that has the potential to rid us from our dependance of fossil
fuels until it can be disproved, such as cold fusion was. I mean *disproved*,
not just the gut-feeling says: "impossible"
> > gas with heat is not applicable here. Maybe someone else has other means.
> > Eric Drexler might have an idea if you give him half of those EUR100M.
>
> Really, looking for ways to liberate high-pressure geohydrogen bound in
> bulk rock (traps are different) a few miles under your feet is another
> nonproblem nonsolution.
Nay-saying is always easy but it never solves a problem. It is, in principle
at least, possible to free the hydrogen with a positive yield of energy.
-- Rüdiger Koch http://rkoch.org Mobile: +49-179-1101561
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