AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Thin Films Monday Sessions
       Session TF+EM-MoM

Invited Paper TF+EM-MoM1
Hydrogen - The World of Tomorrow?

Monday, October 31, 2005, 8:20 am, Room 306

Session: Thin Films for Photovoltaic and Energy Applications
Presenter: G.N. Richter, Chevron Fellow Emeritus
Correspondent: Click to Email

We have all heard of the coming world of hydrogen, and how it will become our energy carrier of choice, both clean and efficient, a major input for many chemical processes and, perhaps, our saviour. I am sure that this is coming, and it will bring a major change to many things we do. It will take a revolution to bring this about and it won’t be until some time in the future. The question isn’t if it will happen, but when will it come and what is needed to bring it about? Others at this meeting are telling us of the uses of hydrogen, its promises and its behaviour. But, there are also important questions to ask about where will the hydrogen come from and the infrastructure needed for us to be able to use it. It is the difficulty in answering these questions that is holding back the revolution. And it is these points that I would like to discuss with you today. Not the promises we have all heard, but how we can get to this "promised" land, as well as some of the things we might all do to get there sooner. What are the needs and opportunities for all of us to address?