首页
登录
职称英语
The appeal of hydrogen fuel cells has long been obvious. Because these device
The appeal of hydrogen fuel cells has long been obvious. Because these device
游客
2023-12-22
33
管理
问题
The appeal of hydrogen fuel cells has long been obvious. Because these devices use electrochemical reactions to generate electricity from hydrogen, emitting only heat and water in the process, they offer a particularly green source of power, especially for vehicles. What has not been so obvious, however, is how to make hydrogen fuel cells practical. In 2009, Steven Chu, then the U. S. Secretary of Energy,told an interviewer that in order for hydrogen fuel-cell transportation to work, "four miracles" needed to happen. First, scientists had to find an efficient and low-cost way to produce hydrogen. Second, they had to develop a safe, high-density method of storing hydrogen in automobiles. Third, an infrastructure for distributing hydrogen had to be built so that fuel-cell vehicles would have ample refueling options. Fourth, researchers had to improve the capacity of the fuel-cell systems themselves, which were not as durable, powerful, and low cost as the internal combustion engine. Chu concluded that achieving all four big breakthroughs would be unlikely. "Saints only need three miracles," he added.
Accordingly, the U. S. Department of Energy dramatically cut funding for fuel cells, reducing its support for various programs to nearly a third of previous levels. For the rest of Chu’s tenure, the department awarded nearly no new grants to develop the technology at universities, national labs, or private companies. Although the department’s total expenditures on fuel cells and hydrogen had always amounted to a small fraction of overall global investment in the sector, the change in posture sent a deeply pessimistic signal worldwide.
Immediately after Chu’s comments made the rounds, the hydrogen community issued a defense, contending that major progress had been made. But the damage was done. Universities stopped hiring faculty in an area perceived to be dying, top students fled to other subjects, and programs at national labs were forced to reconfigure their efforts. Established scientists saw an abrupt decrease in funding opportunities for hydrogen and refocused their research on other technologies. The overall effect was a drastic shrinking of the human-resource pipeline feeding hydrogen and fuel-cell research.
All of this was not necessarily a bad thing: new technologies come along all the time, pushing aside older ones that are no longer bound for the market. In the case of hydrogen fuel cells, however, scientists really had made big breakthroughs, and the technology was finally in the process of hitting the market. Rather than redirecting limited resources to more realistic technologies, the U. S. government’s policy arguably amounted to pulling the rug out from under hydrogen and fuel-cell research and development in the United States and handing over leadership in the sector to other countries. Patents are perhaps the best indicator of how much practical progress a technology is making, and even as the U. S. government decreased its support for research into hydrogen fuel cells(and increased its support for other clean energy technologies), the number of U. S. patents related to fuel cells continued to dwarf those of other energy technologies, with the exception of solar power. [br] Prerequisites for a workable hydrogen fuel-cell transportation include the following EXCEPT______.
选项
A、the ability to store hydrogen safely in automobiles
B、a cost-effective way to produce hydrogen
C、a campaign to raise people’s environmental awareness
D、improved capacity of the fuel-cell systems
答案
C
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3296726.html
相关试题推荐
Thevaluesoftheprojectshouldbekeptinmindforallteammembersbecauseth
Thevaluesoftheprojectshouldbekeptinmindforallteammembersbecauseth
Thevaluesoftheprojectshouldbekeptinmindforallteammembersbecauseth
Thevaluesoftheprojectshouldbekeptinmindforallteammembersbecauseth
Thevaluesoftheprojectshouldbekeptinmindforallteammembersbecauseth
Thevaluesoftheprojectshouldbekeptinmindforallteammembersbecauseth
Peoplevaluemoneydesperatelybecausetheyvalueoneanotherdesperately;t
Peoplevaluemoneydesperatelybecausetheyvalueoneanotherdesperately;t
Peoplevaluemoneydesperatelybecausetheyvalueoneanotherdesperately;t
Initseverydaylife,Italyisverymuchtheman’sworld.However,becauseo
随机试题
Traditionally,theAmericanfarmerhasalwaysbeenindependentandhard-workin
Indiansaregenerallyreligiousandfamilyoriented,andtheirlivesaredee
Toronto,Canada,islocatedontheshoreofLakeOntario,withdirectflightto
关于法的效力层级的说法,正确的是( )。A.行政法规的法律地位仅次于宪法 B
下列属于单侧平衡的是A.侧方平衡 B.前伸平衡 C.正中平衡 D.尖牙保护
女性,48岁。慢性腹泻3年,大便每日3~4次,伴有少量黏液,多次粪便致病菌培养阴
甲乙两国签署了贸易、通商等若干双边协定,乙国新《对外贸易管理法》出现了与两国条约
制作可摘局部义齿印模选择的托盘时,要求托盘的侧翼与牙弓内外侧应有的间隙是A.1.
柯达公司是世界上最大的影像产品及相关服务的生产商和供应商。柯达公司在影像拍摄、
信贷额度是银行具有法律义务地提供不超过某一最高限额的贷款协定。()
最新回复
(
0
)