The mainstream media organization “Fox News” has posted an article about the recent test and sale of Andrea Rossi’s one megawatt cold fusion plant. It’s great that they are covering the introduction of the E-Cat technology to the market, but the article could be more accurate.
Andrea Rossi consults with Giuseppe Levi during the test of the 1 MW E-Cat on Oct. 28, 2011
Photo by Sterling AllanBy Hank Mills
Pure Energy Systems NewsIf you have not read it already, Fox News has posted an article about the test and sale of the world’s first one megawatt cold fusion E-Cat plant. Fox News should be commended for being one of the first mainstream media outlets to cover the historic launch of the cold fusion age. However, their article does not seem to be as well worded as it could be, and is not exactly accurate on all counts. To be blunt, the author could have been much more helpful to the readers of the article.
The first issue with the article is that early on it states scientists say cold fusion is impossible. This is not entirely accurate. The fact is many scientists say it is very possible, and some even claim it is an absolute reality. Over the last twenty years hundreds of scientists have been involved in cold fusion research, and thousands of successful cold fusion experiments have taken place. One example of a scientist who claims cold fusion is very possible, is Chief NASA scientist, Dennis Bushnell. He has went so far to state that cold fusion is perhaps the most promising of all cutting edge, alternative energy technologies. You can read an article about his statements, here.
http://pesn.com/2011/05/31/9501837_Cold-Fusion_Number-1_Claims_NASA_Chief/As the article continues, it claims that many people in the scientific community have dismissed the technology. This is true to an extent, because many scientists are skeptical of breakthrough technologies that challenge the status quo. A good example of this is how there were scientists and engineers declaring that powered flight was impossible, weeks or months after the Wright Brothers few into the sky. However, there are many scientists and engineers that have witnessed demonstrations of the E-Cat technology over the last year, and came away impressed — convinced that the technology represents a novel new source of energy. Dr. Levi of the University of Bologna, Professor Christos Stremmenos, and Dr. Sergio Focardi are just a few names out of many experts that have praised the technology as being valid and real.
Next, the article gives a quote from a scientist who states that the E-Cat test should be treated as a hoax, until independent scientists are able to replicate the results. This statement is overlooking a few important issues. First, there have been many independent scientists witness and participate in tests of E-Cat units. Secondly, the test of the one megawatt plant was complete controlled by the expert engineer representing the customer who was purchasing the plant. If the engineer was not satisfied with the test — that he could conduct in any manner he wanted — he could have easily canceled the purchase. It is important to note however that in these tests Rossi has not allowed scientists to examine the inside of the tiny reactor cores, because inside of them resides the proprietary information that makes the technology work. Namely, a proprietary catalyst and nickel powder that has been treated in very special ways to create an abundance of reaction sites. To protect his industrial secrets and intellectual property, he has had to put some limitations on the information he can provide.
The article also talks about radiation, and how fission reactors produce large amounts of radiation. But the details about how Rossi’s technology works — in terms of radiation produced — is not elaborated on. The fact is his system does produce small amounts of radiation in the form of low energy gamma rays, but they are completely shielded by a couple centimeters of lead. Zero radiation escapes into the environment. It would also have been nice for the author to mention that the E-Cat technology utilizes no radioactive elements, and produces no nuclear waste. It is a completely safe and “green” nuclear technology. In fact, due to the very nature of the way the energy is produced, it is impossible for it to “melt down.” This is because if the temperatures inside of the reactor cores rise too high, the nickel powder just melts, and the nuclear reactions cease. There is no disaster like in a fission based nuclear reactor, the system just stops producing heat.
Perhaps the most silly part of the article is the quote stating cold fusion defies the laws of thermodynamics, and a self sustaining cold fusion system is impossible. This statement is not just ridiculous, but is offensive to the intellect of many readers of Fox News. In a cold fusion reaction the energy produced is not “free” coming from no where, but comes from the atomic bonds of the hydrogen and nickel, when they ‘fuse” together. Just like in conventional fission energy, the energy comes from a portion of the mass of the atom being converted to energy. There is no difference with cold fusion, except that the radiation released is tremendously less, no nuclear materials are consumed as fuel, and no nuclear waste is produced. Basically, cold fusion has all of the advantages of nuclear power, with none of the drawbacks!
When Fox News reports about cold fusion, they need to provide their researchers with more detailed and accurate articles. I applaud Fox News for covering the one megawatt test, but I think they need to do more homework before they start writing up content.
