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September 12, 2003
The benefits of hydrogen power
Approximately 70 per cent of the easily extractable oil reserves
in the world are found in Islamic countries.
EDGAR ASHER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the world's democracies have been on a sharp
learning curve that has, to a certain extent, set aside diplomatic
jargon and niceties for a more realistic and pragmatic attitude
to the true nature of Islamic terror and fundamentalism.
After the attack on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, that
cost together thousands of civilian lives, the western democracies
quickly realized that their very lifestyle and aspirations were
under attack. There was no quick antidote to terror. Like many a
virus, no cure had been discovered and the vulnerability of the
western way of life, with all its values and traditions, would be
torn apart unless action, of the most dramatic nature, was taken.
Western diplomatic double talk has tended to kow-tow to "moderate"
Arab nations. There has been a fear of causing offence, an offence
that might have a direct bearing on the price and supply of oil.
Such was the obvious importance of the West maintaining a regular,
reasonably priced supply of oil that the democracies, and in particular
the United States, would appear to turn a blind eye to the ever
growing danger of international terrorism that emanated from the
"moderate" Arab states with whom the West dealt. Most
of the perpetrators of 9/11 came from Saudi Arabia, as does Osama
Bin Laden, but Saudi Arabia, which still bankrolls terror groups
all over the world, is still regarded as a moderate Arab state.
Syria, a declared haven of terrorists, currently holds the rotating
presidency of the United Nations Security Council.
The vulnerability of regular oil supply to the West perhaps can
be best illustrated by the fact that 70 per cent of the easily extractable
oil reserves around the world are found in Islamic countries and
most of the countries in the world producing oil are not democracies.
The West had already experienced the power of the oil-producing
countries when prices spiralled and production was reduced in the
1970s.
It was concern about the continuity of oil supply that prompted
the calling, at the end of August, of an energy conference in Jerusalem
that examined the possibilities and practicalities of developing
alternative renewable energy sources and, in particular, the use
of hydrogen.
The American Jewish Congress (AJC) brought together representatives
of the U.S. Department of Energy and the Israel Ministry of National
Infrastructure at a three-day conference entitled Energy Independence
for the Democracies in the 21st Century. David Haberman, the conference
director and an international expert on hydrogen energy, said that
the aim of the conference was "to see how the United States
and Israel could work together to acquire these new technologies
so that they are more independent and more secure. Also how their
friends and other democracies can enjoy benefits from this collaboration."
Haberman pointed out that the terror war launched against the West
will endure for a long, long time, and oil is the major factor.
"I see no end in sight," he added.
Jack Halpern, chair of the AJC energy independent task force, said
that the International Energy Agency is predicting that, in 2015,
the non-OPEC production of oil will peak. "As the world's population
is growing and China and India are industrializing, the prospect
for the West is very scary."
With the aim of the conference being to discuss energy security
and energy independence, much time was spent in examining where
the West stands in the development of hydrogen to power fuel cells
for vehicles and power plants. Large energy companies have now shown
their willingness to co-operate in the development of alternative
energy sources and fuel cell technology.
Another contributor to the forum, Republican Sen. Rod Grams of Minnesota,
said that he saw the conference as a way of determining, "How
do we get from here to there? The technology is not there right
now to replace fossil fuels, but the ideas are there and this is
what this conference is all about. Businesses cannot shoulder the
burden of the research and development costs; it's going to take
a national effort. We have got to see countries pooling their resources
and development costs to focus on this and, over time, these technologies
will begin to show fruit."
The hydrogen fuel cell has been around for a long time now but,
perhaps because of the huge vested interest by the oil producers
and vehicle manufacturers, the development of the fuel cell has
been delayed. There is, in the view of Gerry Runte, executive director
of Chicago's Gas Technology Institute, a bit of "an attitude
problem" with the energy companies. It is a kind of "Catch
22" situation. "I'll be ready to provide this [hydrogen
gas supply] when the customer wants it and, right now, I'm not sure
the customer wants it," he said. "Let the car manufacturers
make available hydrogen-powered cars and we will provide the stations
to fuel these vehicles."
Today, with the global terror crises and the environmental problem
caused by the burning of fossil fuels, the West must shake itself
away from being dependent on states that only want to see the downfall
of western values and culture. For the United States, which consumes
25 per cent of the world's oil every day, but has only three per
cent of the world's oil reserves, it is a very serious problem.
The United States' own domestic oil production peaked in 1970.
It is as serious an issue for the United States as it is for Israel,
who has no oil of its own. Israel is surrounded by hostile or semi-hostile
neighbors who are sitting on an incredible fortune of oil and are
using it to fund terror.
The U.S. administration now understands that the key to energy security
for any country is diversification. No country can be reliant on
one particular source of energy. The administration has now pledged
$2.1 billion over the next five years for research and development
of the hydrogen fuel cell for vehicles and power plants.
Outside the main conference hall, the organizers had set up a table
with what was claimed to be the first demonstration in Israel of
a commercial hydrogen fuel cell. A brightly painted yellow hydrogen
gas cylinder was connected to the fuel cell by a thin pipe gas pipe.
Silently and cleanly, the 100 watt fuel cell was supplying a constant
12 volts to an adjacent laptop computer which showed on its screen
a message praising the benefits of hydrogen power cells. It is a
modest demonstration that underlines the fact that the long-term
hope for alternative energy is hydrogen. It is an abundant gas found
in every corner of the planet, and it is clean and powerful. The
development of hydrogen power is the only way forward to remove
the threat, posed mainly by the Islamic states, to use the oil weapon
to achieve their nefarious goals.
Edgar Asher is with Isranet News and Media.
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