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Our society's dependence on fossil fuels is associated with a long litany of ecological consequences. From global warming to acid rain; from massive oil spills to the contamination of ground water and wells from leaking underground storage tanks at service stations. Add to that the fact oil exists in limited quantities, and that world oil production has been projected to peak and begin to decline within the next decade, and it is easy to understand why the discussion of alternate fuels has become so important.

Many alternatives are being discussed, or beginning to be implemented. Biodiesel, ethanol and natural gas have all been suggested as short term solutions. All are cleaner burning fuels but none are emission-free, since combustion of these fuels still releases carbon dioxide, thus contributing to global warming. And while natural gas is currently abundant, it exists in limited quantities like all fossil fuels, making it no more than a short-term solution.

Fortunately a long-term solution is on the horizon. Hydrogen. Unlike the biofuels (biodiesel and ethanol) hydrogen is also not just "cleaner burning," but /emission-free/ if implemented in a responsible manner.

While many people are not yet aware of it, all of the technologies necessary for implementing a hydrogen economy also already exist.

Many of those technologies were originally developed by NASA for use in the space program. NASA's rockets have run on hydrogen fuel from the beginning. Why? Because it contains more energy per pound than any other fuel, and they want to minimize the weight, or payload, which they are lifting into orbit. In other words, it is the most efficient fuel available.

When it comes to sustainability, hydrogen is also the perfect choice. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and one of the most abundant on earth.

There are two potential sources of hydrogen and two methods of creating it already available. The first, known as "steam reformation," is the one currently used by NASA to obtain fuel. It uses steam to split natural gas (CH4) into carbon and hydrogen. This implies releasing that one carbon atom into the atmosphere and contributes to global warming, just as /all/ combustion does, including combustion of the biofuels.

The other source is electrolysis - the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen with electricity. The technology is painfully simple. I recall splitting hydrogen and oxygen from water using a 12 volt battery in high school chemistry class some

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