quattro digest, Vol 1 #3116 - more history......(NAC)

[l.leung at juno.com]

The process of extracting Hydrogen from water is an endothermic (i.e. needs energy) process, most easily accomplished using electricity in a process called electrolysis.

This COULD be accomplished using solar energy by using solar collectors to store enough energy to perform the electrolysis. 

Would it be efficient? Not likely at the current solar to electric levels of performance. But would it be essentially free and relatively environmentally clean? With exception of the manufacturing of the facility and equipment, Yup. BUT, it potentially does have environmental effects as to the weather, absorb enough solar energy and keep it from hitting the Earth, and there is a potential cooling effect from the prevention of the solar to thermal energy conversion from the sun to the ground to the air. As always, there is always a consequence as to what we do, the need to have someone truely capable (climatologist) calculate this (which could be a significant effect owing to the energy needs of people and the relative in-efficiency of the process) becomes much more apparent once the whole picture is considered. Can you say potentially, (synergistic effects considered, less CO2, SO2 etc in the air and less solar surface warming) Ice Age? (perhaps the Disney movie release knows something....)

the Physics and Earth Science Teacher