I'm starting to see the potential of hydrogen as a fuel. Or rather, as a store of energy.
So the biggest hurdle for intermittent renewable energy sources is lack of efficient and affordable mass storage. But if the use for that energy is making, compressing and possibly freezing ( what is the verb for cryogenics?) H2, then storing the renewable energy in the form of hydrogen fuel which can be transported and used elsewhere when the wind isn't blowing and sun isn't shining, makes sense. Hydrogen fuel by itself is not a solution, since it is not an energy source(just like electricity for electric vehicles, it amazes me how many otherwise intelligent people cannot make this distinction), it is simply a storage method. However inefficient the conversion process may be, and it is and can only be inefficient, if it is done by intermittent renewables, it might still make sense.
There will always be much more energy in, than energy out in creating and compressing the H gas, just depends on the source and cost of that energy source.
And as a bonus, perhaps our cold climate may benefit from this industry, if you need to freeze hydrogen down to -262C, starting at -40C in our climate in January instead of +35 in California, just saved a bunch of energy.
So the biggest hurdle for intermittent renewable energy sources is lack of efficient and affordable mass storage. But if the use for that energy is making, compressing and possibly freezing ( what is the verb for cryogenics?) H2, then storing the renewable energy in the form of hydrogen fuel which can be transported and used elsewhere when the wind isn't blowing and sun isn't shining, makes sense. Hydrogen fuel by itself is not a solution, since it is not an energy source(just like electricity for electric vehicles, it amazes me how many otherwise intelligent people cannot make this distinction), it is simply a storage method. However inefficient the conversion process may be, and it is and can only be inefficient, if it is done by intermittent renewables, it might still make sense.
There will always be much more energy in, than energy out in creating and compressing the H gas, just depends on the source and cost of that energy source.
And as a bonus, perhaps our cold climate may benefit from this industry, if you need to freeze hydrogen down to -262C, starting at -40C in our climate in January instead of +35 in California, just saved a bunch of energy.
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