US scientists say fossil fuel alternatives lacking
Date: 04-Nov-02
Country: USA
The scientists said they evaluated possible future energy sources, including wind and solar power, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion, that do not produce carbon dioxide, one of the gases believed to be trapping heat in the Earth's atmosphere.
Writing in the journal Science, they said they had identified several promising technologies, but none presently are a suitable alternative that could meet growing energy needs around the world. They called for a broad range of investment in research and development of those and other technologies.
"What our research clearly shows is that scientific innovation can only reverse this trend if we adopt an aggressive, global strategy for developing alternative fuel sources that can produce up to three times the amount of power we use today," New York University physicist Martin Hoffert said.
"Currently, these technologies simply don't exist, either operationally or as pilot projects," Hoffert said.
The energy alternatives were evaluated for the ability to supply mass amounts of carbon-emission-free energy and their potential for large-scale commercialization.
The study noted several limitations of current technology. For example, replacing combustion engines with fuel cell engines may cut carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles. But the current process of producing the hydrogen required to power fuel cells actually generates more carbon dioxide emissions than the combustion engines would create, Hoffert said.
"We conclude that a broad range of intensive research and development is urgently needed to produce technological options that can allow both climate stabilization and economic development," the scientists said.