Tomorrow's energy : hydrogen, fuel cells, and the prospects for a cleaner planet / Peter Hoffmann ; foreword by Senator Byron L. Dorgan.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-330) and index.

Why hydrogen? The grand picture -- Hydrogen's discovery: Phlogiston and inflammable air -- A history of hydrogen energy: The Reverend Cecil, Jules Verne, and the Redoubtable Mr. Erren -- Producing hydrogen from water, natural gas, and green plants -- Primary energy: Using solar and other power to make hydrogen -- Terra transport: Hydrogen for cars, buses, bikes, and boats -- Fuel cells: Mr. Grove's lovely technology -- Clean contrails: The Orient Express, Phantom Eye, and LAPCAT -- Hydrogen as utility gas: Hydricity, and the invisible flame -- Nonenergy uses of hydrogen: Metallic H₂, biodegradable plastics, and H₂ tofu -- Safety: The Hindenburg syndrome, or "Don't paint your dirigible with rocket fuel" -- The next fifty years.

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. An invisible, tasteless, colorless gas, it can be converted to nonpolluting, zero-emission, renewable energy. When burned in an internal combustion engine, hydrogen produces mostly harmless water vapor. It performs even better in fuel cells, which can be 2.5 times as efficient as internal-combustion engines. Zero-emission hydrogen does not contribute to CO₂-caused global warming. Abundant and renewable, it is unlikely to be subject to geopolitical pressures or scarcity concerns. In this new edition of his pioneering book Tomorrow's Energy, Peter Hoffmann makes the case for hydrogen as the cornerstone of a new energy economy. Hoffmann covers the major aspects of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, fuel use, and safety.