Emerging Solar Energy Economy      Solar energy is not a vision, it is a fact .  It is emerging now.

                                 Honda launched the hydrogen car FCX Claritys [1]
The car utilizes Honda's fuel cell V Flow stack in combination with a new compact and efficient lithium ion battery pack and a single hydrogen storage tank to power the vehicle's electric drive motor. The fuel cell stack operates as the vehicle's main power source. Hydrogen combines with atmospheric oxygen in the fuel cell stack, where chemical energy from the reaction is converted into electric power used to propel the vehicle. Additional energy captured through regenerative braking and deceleration is stored in the lithium ion battery pack, and used to supplement power from the fuel cell, when needed. The vehicle's only emission is water.

Honda information about the FCX Clarity
Travel range is 270 miles on a single hydrogen refill.
Single 5.000 p.s.i. tank compressed hydrogen. New 10.000 p.s.i. tanks are now being built for greater rage.
Hydrogen consumption equivalent is 68 miles a gallon.
Reduction  of  carbon dioxide output by half compared with a petrol vehicle.
In the United States, where much electricity is produced from coal, it is even better than a battery-electric car.
Performance is on par with a similar-size car powered by a 2.4-liter engine.
Engine: 134 horsepower and 189 pound-feet of torque. 
Availability of hydrogen improvement is to be improved.

CO2 Emissions
According to Honda the FCX Clarity's only emission is water. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions come only from the production of hydrogen, which varies by source; however, well-to-wheel CO2 emissions using hydrogen reformed from natural gas - the most widely used method of production today - are less than half that of a conventional gasoline vehicle. With the production of hydrogen from water by electrolysis, CO2 emissions can be further reduced and ultimately approach zero if the electricity used for electrolysis is generated using solar, wind, water or nuclear power.

Honda  says that it has developed its own solar cells, with half of the CO2 emissions in the production stage compared to conventional crystalline silicon cells; and has begun mass-production and retail sales of this technology in Japan for both commercial and residential use.

Using Honda PV arrays, the cost of 1 kW of solar electricity could fall down below 6 cents. (Europe pays for 1 kW made of brown coal 18 to 20 Cents. New 24 coal power plants were planned  Germany under Merkels government. Saudi Arabia  could  deliver  clean electricity  and  produce the fuel for the emerging  hydrogen cars. Initial distribution of hydrogen could be handled with portable tanks, or:

on-site hydrogen production. Electrolysis with solar electricity from the grid may produce hydrogen at the filling stations. No transportation  is necessary.

On-site hydrogen production equipment StatoilHydro supplies  water electrolysis equipment for generating hydrogen. More informations

Norway plans a 580 km hydrogen freeway between Oslo and Stavanger. The Norway Oil Company  HyNor acquired 30 Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE cars, to run on the freeway in summer 2008.   see map of the Hydrogen Hyghway
Statoil maintains the HyNor project. [2]

[1] Honda Debuts All-New FCX Clarity Advanced Fuel Cell Vehicle. Hond News 14.11.2007.
http://world.honda.com/news/2007/4071114All-New-FCX/

[2] The HiNor Project, Statoil
http://www.statoil.com/StatoilCom/svg00990.nsf/Attachments/nyEnergi/$FILE/hydrogen_eng.pdf

10.12.2007: The Study of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) [1]
The Study says that growing demand of oil from India and China will be the leading cause of oil shortage. This will sum up with the fact that soon the oil producers will cut their export to feed their own needs. Indonesia, former exporter relies now on oil import. Mexico is expected to become importer of oil in five years from now, some years later Iran will follow. From 2005 to 2006 the oil consume of the 5 big exporter (Saudi Arabia, Russia, Norway, Iran and United Arab Emirates) rose by 5,9 per cent resulting in 3 percent decreased export.

According to the Study. The Iranian export of oil will drop by 50 per cent by 2010. Saudi Arabia will increase its production, however the home market will consume 40 percent of everything. Kuwait and Libya will double its consume in the next decade. Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have surpassed the United States in oil consumption per person.

The report stresses that there will be big market shifts, with the number of exporting countries shrinking and unconventional sources like Canadian tar sands and areas now closed to oil production will have to be opened.

Greater political stability and increased drilling in some important oil states, notably Iraq, Iran and Venezuela, could help offset the rising demand from other oil exporters.  Europe should try to establish a solar energy economy  in Algeria. This would minder the poverty of the population in the Tinduf region and secure European energy supply for decades.

[1] New York Times: Oil-Rich Nations Use More Energy, Cutting Exports. December 9, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/business/worldbusiness/09oil.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin


EU-Africa summit  08.12.2007
The Speech of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, accusing African leaders of human rights abuses at the EU-Africa summit in Lisbon, caused the summit to fail its goal to forge a new partnership between the two continents.

Disregarding all dissents of the Summit Muammar al-Gaddafi and Nicolas Sarkozy used the EU-Africa Summit for a friendly private talk about Nuclear power plant trade, Airbus contract and missile  deals.

China is, meanwhile, heavily investing in Africa to secure raw materials and to build good relations with the continent. European contact to its energy rich neighbor continent was weakened as politicians missed the point of the Summit, arguing over controversial subjects.

Growing European demand for electricity turns solar energy from the Arabian Peninsula a coming energy export item which may alleviate energy shortage in the next decades predicted by the Study of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

[1]World News.com: Merkle puts Simbabwe in spotlight over rights abuses
http://article.wn.com/view/2007/12/08/Merkel_puts_Zimbabwe_in_spotlight_over_rights_abuses/?section
=StoryResults&template=cheetah-search%2Findex.txt