It's impossible not to have been sucked into the vortex of hoopla about the
"hydrogen economy" or the "hydrogen future." It pops up everywhere, from
car commercials to news reports and magazine spreads.
Most recently, Prime Minister Paul Martin got on the bandwagon when he
outlined a revolutionary plan to build a "hydrogen highway" from Whistler
B.C. to Vancouver in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The goal of the
highway is to enable drivers using hydrogen fuel-cell cars to fill up at a
network of hydrogen gas stations between the two cities. California
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has similar plans for a hydrogen highway in
his state by 2010.
But is this hydrogen highway hope or just hype?
It's a great idea, to be sure. While conventional gasoline engines have to
burn their fuel, releasing heat-trapping gases and smog-forming pollutants
in the process, hydrogen fuel cells convert their fuel directly into
electrical power - making them virtually pollution free. The only thing
that comes out of the tailpipe is heat and water. It's hard to argue
against a car like that!
But there is a catch, one that the commercials and news reports often
overlook. Hydrogen doesn't come out of a hole in the ground. In fact, it
doesn't exist by itself in nature at all - you have to extract it from
other materials, such as water, or fossil fuels like natural gas, methanol
or gasoline. That process requires lots of energy, and how you generate
that energy is the crux of the issue.
To be pollution-free, hydrogen must be made using renewable energy, such as
solar or wind. Otherwise, we will simply shift the pollution source from
our vehicle tailpipes to smokestacks at hydrogen-production plants. And
that's not exactly a blueprint for a clean, sustainable economy.
Unfortunately, there is currently very little investment in the kind of
renewable energy we need to power a clean hydrogen highway. While the
fossil fuel industry continues to feast on subsidies and tax incentives,
the renewable energy industry is left to fight over the scraps. That needs
to change now, while fuel cells are being developed, so we can have a clean
source of hydrogen in the future.
Investing in clean, renewable energy also has the more immediate benefit of
reducing air pollution and heat-trapping emissions right away. Scientists
aren't the only ones worried about climate change anymore. It affects all
of us and the impacts are already being felt around the world. Canada could
position itself as a world leader on this issue by developing a bold plan
to shift to a low-polluting, sustainable economy. In fact, we desperately
need a plan if we are going to meet our Kyoto Protocol commitments.
Such a plan could start by mandating renewable energy requirements,
improving fuel efficiency standards for new cars and investing in public
transit. Citizens stand to benefit immediately from such measures through
cleaner air, savings at the pump and better transportation options. These
are benefits we can have today, without relying on the white knight of
hydrogen in the future.
So, is a hydrogen highway hope or hype? A little of both, actually.
Governments need to encourage investment in promising technologies like
hydrogen fuel cells. But that's no excuse for failing to take action today.
A sustainable future will not be achieved through technology alone. It
requires wise policy choices on behalf of governments and informed choices
by consumers.
The hydrogen highway is a great idea, but it is highly unlikely that
fuel-cell cars will be commercially available by the 2010 Olympics. In the
meantime, there are lots of affordable, practical things we can do
immediately to reduce air pollution and climate change. We shouldn't have
to wait a decade for clean air and better cars. Canadians deserve options now.
