[stylin19a]

Over the past year, they've built a reactor that converts ethanol, a renewable corn-based product produced in 14 plants statewide, into hydrogen. That, in turn, can be used to power a fuel cell, a battery-like device that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and heat.

Um.....how much energy is used to get the ethanol in the first place ?
how much hydrogen would be needed ? lots ? then we need lots of ethanol, which inturn would need more energy to convert it into hydrogen......I'm starting to make my own head spin.

[Enterprise]

"Over the past year, they’ve built a reactor that converts ethanol, a renewable corn-based product produced in 14 plants statewide, into hydrogen. That, in turn, can be used to power a fuel cell, a battery-like device that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and heat.

Schmidt said the reactor can be built small enough to hold in a hand and could in five or more years provide electricity for houses, lighted billboards, and air-conditioning units in vehicles. "

Sort of my question too. What powers the reactor, even if it gets small enough to hold in a hand?

[Straight Vermonter]

Leave corn in a silo and it produces its own ethanol. Its called fermentation.

[expatpat]

I thought it took more energy to produce ethanol from corn than it releases when burned.