Contextual factors and dynamics of writing situations

Alternative Fuels

THE KEY to the FUTURE of the PLANET

Over the past ten years or so, the American government and the public have increased their awareness of the problems associated with global warming, caused by what some call the "greenhouse effect" in which carbon dioxide, the byproduct of burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, prevents the earth from cooling down as it naturally would if not for the presence of CO2 in the atmosphere. Within recent times, many scientists have concluded that this "greenhouse effect" is warming up the planet to the point where ice caps and glaciers in Antarctica and the North Pole are melting at unprecedented rates, thus making it feasible that coastlines along all major continents will be inundated by melting water sometime in the future, causing huge numbers of people to seek higher ground. Without a doubt, this "greenhouse effect" is now occurring all over the globe which mandates that human beings must begin to use alternative fuels for heating and transportation or else continue on the downward path toward the complete destruction of the earth and its natural habitats and environments.

Historically, the quest of alternative sources of fuel dates back almost two hundred years when Sir William Grove invented the first true fuel cell in England in 1839. Many of his experiments focused on electrolysis or the "use of electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen" which led to Grove developing the first fuel cell, but is was not until Grove figured out that by linking several devices in a series that true fuel cells came into existence, a term coined by chemists Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer in 1889 "as they attempted to build the first practical device using air and industrial coal gas" ("Fuel Cell Basics," 2007, Internet).

However, scientists and experimenters soon learned that there were many technological hurdles to overcome if such devices were to become part of everyday life. To make matters worse, by the end of the 19th century, thanks in part to Henry Ford, "the internal combustion engine was emerging and the widespread exploitation of fossil fuels send the fuel cell the way of the scientific curiosity." But by the early 1930's, new interest in fuel cells and other alternative sources of energy became commonplace, especially when Dr. Francis Thomas Bacon of Cambridge University in England "resurrected the machine developed by Mond and Langer" which led to the development of the "Bacon Cell" which was "the first alkaline fuel cell (AFC)."

By 1959, Bacon had produced the first truly workable fuel cell and demonstrated "a machine capable of producing 5 kW of power, enough to power a welding machine." Also at this time, Harry Karl Ihrig, an engineer for a farm equipment maker in the United States, "demonstrated the first fuel cell-powered vehicle" by combining "1008 cells" to produce "a fuel cell stack which could generate 15kW and was capable of powering a 20 hp tractor." All of this experimentation eventually led to new alternative fuel technologies which in today's world is one of the fastest growing commercial industries, due to the ever-rising need for coal and oil and the continuing rise in oil prices which are expected to exceed $100 a barrel in the very near future. In addition, most major automotive manufacturers like Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota and Nissan "have unveiled prototype fuel cell-powered cars," some of which can be purchased today and run on fuels like hydrogen, ethanol and electricity ("Fuel Cell Basics," 2007, Internet).

Two of the most important and innovative types of alternative fuels being used in the modern world are hydrogen and electricity, both of which, for the most part, do not rely upon the use of fossil fuels and do not pollute the atmosphere like burning coal and oil to generate power.

With hydrogen as a fuel source, it can be created by "re-forming natural gas or another fossil fuel or by using electricity to split (or electrolyze) water into its components of oxygen and hydrogen." The best and most planet-friendly method for creating hydrogen necessary to run and operate power plants and automobiles is through the use of photovoltaic cells, also known as solar cells, which are pollution-free and do not cause any kind of damage to the environment. One of the big advantages to using hydrogen as fuel is that "no greenhouse gases are generated" and all that emerges from the tailpipe of a car "is drinkable water." Thus, by using hydrogen as a "non-polluting, renewable source," the result would be "a truly unlimited supply of clean fuel" which would help immensely in the on-going struggle to save the planet ("Alternative Fuel Types," 2002, Internet).