Editorial

Alternative Energy Sources Will Be Required Very Soon

The recent increase in oil prices has caught the attention of nearly every American that drives or owns an automobile. According to a 1994 report from the U.S. Department of Energy, transportation accounts for 27 percent of the energy consumed and 65 percent of the petroleum used in the United States. Though fuel consumption per vehicle-mile has been reduced by about 40 percent from 1970 levels, the vehicle-miles traveled have more than doubled since 1970. Since 1960, the annual growth rate of the number of vehicles registered has outpaced the annual growth rate of the world's population by about 2 to 1.

The significant increase in the world's dependence on oil over the past 40 years is cause for great concern. Corresponding to this high usage of energy, the transportation industry is said to also be responsible for two-thirds of national CO emissions, and more than one-fifth of NOx and other particulate emissions. Given the EPA's "no holds barred" tactics to implement their emissions standards, alternative fuel sources, such as fuel cells for low-emission vehicles, are gaining acceptance as future energy sources not only for industrial purposes, but also in home heating. Companies such as Proton Energy Systems, Inc., Rocky Hill, CT, and Plug Power, Inc., Latham, NY, are involved in the commercial production of proton exchange membrane (PEM) devices for hydrogen fuel and electricity generation. These devices are currently the most "accepted" alternative fuel sources for the future.