Amory B. Lovins, CEO Rocky Mountain Institute: Twenty Hydrogen Myths

Note: Originally published in 2003 and updated in 2005.
Hydrogen Tech is even cheaper and better today in 2014 than when this was written

Twenty Hydrogen Myths
AUTHOR: Lovins, Amory


YEAR: 2003
DOCUMENT TYPE: Report or White Paper
PUBLISHER: Rocky Mountain Institute



This peer-reviewed white paper offers both lay and technical readers a documented primer on basic hydrogen facts, weighs competing opinions, and corrects twenty widespread misconceptions. Some of these include the following: a hydrogen industry would need to be developed from scratch; hydrogen is too dangerous for common use; making hydrogen uses more energy than it yields; we lack a mechanism to store hydrogen in cars; and hydrogen is too expensive to compete with gasoline. This paper explains why the rapidly growing engagement of business, civil society, and government in devising and achieving a transition to a hydrogen economy is warranted and, if properly done, could yield important national and global benefits.

Abstract

Recent public interest in hydrogen has elicited a great deal of conflicting, confusing, and often ill-informed commentary. This peer-reviewed white paper offers both lay and technical readers, particularly in the United States, a documented primer on basic hydrogen facts, weighs competing opinions, and corrects twenty widespread misconceptions. It explains why the rapidly growing engagement of business, civil society, and government in devising and achieving a transition to a hydrogen economy is warranted and, if properly done, could yield important national and global benefits.

About the author

Physicist Amory Lovins is cofounder and CEO of Rocky Mountain Institute (www.rmi.org) and Chairman of Hypercar, Inc. (www.hypercar.com), RMI’s fourth for-profit spinoff (in which, to declare an interest, he holds minor equity options). Published in 28 books and hundreds of papers, his work has been recognized by the “Alternative Nobel,” Onassis, Nissan, Shingo, and Mitchell Prizes, a MacArthur Fellowship, the Happold Medal, eight honorary doctorates, and the Heinz, Lindbergh, World Technology, and “Hero for the Planet” Awards. He has advised industry and government worldwide on energy, resources, environment, development, and security for the past three decades.

About the publisher

Rocky Mountain Institute is an independent, entrepreneurial, nonprofit applied research center founded in 1982. Its ~50 staff foster the efficient and restorative use of resources to make the world secure, just, prosperous, and life-sustaining. The majority of its ~$7-million annual revenue is earned by consultancy, chiefly for the private sector; the rest comes from foundation grants and private gifts. Much of the context of its work is summarized in Natural Capitalism (www.natcap.org). Donations are welcome and tax-deductible (#74-2244146). RMI is at 1739 Snowmass Creek Road, Snowmass, CO 81654, phone + 1 970 927-3851

Twenty myths

Myth #1. A whole hydrogen industry would need to be developed from scratch.

Myth #2. Hydrogen is too dangerous, explosive, or “volatile” for common use as a fuel.

Myth #3. Making hydrogen uses more energy than it yields, so it’s prohibitively inefficient

Myth #4. Delivering hydrogen to users would consume most of the energy it contains...

...Myth #17. A viable hydrogen transition would take 30–50 years or more to complete, and hardly anything worthwhile could be done sooner than 20 years

http://www.rmi.org/Knowledge-Center/Library/E03-05_TwentyHydrogenMyths

Full document (PDF)
http://www.rmi.org/cms/Download.aspx?id=6667&file=E03-05_20HydrogenMyths.pdf&title=Twenty+Hydrogen+Myths