Green Energy News | August 10, 1997

August 10, 1997 – Vol.2 No.19

ENERGIES... week of August 10, 1997

WAIT-AND-SEE COLD FUSION. Japanese scientists working at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in England may be closing in on the ultimate energy source - cold fusion. In experiments, elementary particles called muons are used to squeeze hydrogen nuclei together so that they naturally collide and fuse with a release of energy. To date, the chain reaction, as muons jump from paired hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium, has only resulted in 160 or so fusions per muon before the particle gets “stuck.” The break-even point, the point where more energy is produced than needed to operate the muon generator, is 1000 fusions per muon.

Scientists think that another 5 or 10 years of research are needed before this cold fusion process is fully understood. If it is ever realized this clean energy source could solve the world’s energy problems. Theoretically, only 10 grams of deuterium and 15 grams of tritium would be needed per average person in the industrialized world to satisfy their electricity needs for a lifetime.

FUEL CELLS ON THE MOVE. The strategic alliance between Ballard Power Systems and Daimler-Benz has produced its first offspring - an emissions free, almost noiseless bus dubbed NEBUS, New Electric Bus. The bus has a range of 250 km (about 150 miles) and is powered by one of Ballard’s hydrogen powered fuel cells. Under construction are 6 more transit buses to be delivered to Chicago, Illinois and British Columbia sometime soon.

Ballard is also working on a hydrogen fuel cell engine to power Ford’s P2000 light weight passenger car being developed under the U.S. Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles Program (PGNV). The Canadian government contributed $8 million to that program.

NEW BUNNY POWER. Energizer has introduced a new version of the famed Energizer (tm) battery that lasts 55% longer than the previous version. A compact disk player that ran for 194 minutes on the old Energizer batteries can now run 276 minutes. Available in AA and AAA sizes, the new battery design incorporates more “fuel,” more efficient current flow and new plating structure inside the cell.

Some 75 % of all batteries sold are AA and AAA. Longer lasting batteries should mean fewer batteries that end up in landfills. Energizer was the first company to remove toxic mercury from its alkaline batteries, according to the company.