Read on Twitter
The world appears to be betting on hydrogen being the future of energy:
U.K.: $664 million
EU: $550 billion
China, 
Japan and 
South Korea have also committed to huge amounts of spending on the gas https://trib.al/WqkEVDF
U.K.: $664 millionEU: $550 billionChina, Japan and South Korea have also committed to huge amounts of spending on the gas https://trib.al/WqkEVDF
The enthusiasm about hydrogen has a simple reason. Whether itâs burned to create heat or used in a fuel cell the only exhaust it emits is:
Clean water http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
Clean water http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
The worldwide race to dominate the various niches of a market is projected by some banks to be worth trillions of dollars by 2050.
But several hydrogen bubbles have been popped before:
1980
2000 http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
But several hydrogen bubbles have been popped before:
19802000 http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
There are daunting disadvantages:
It doesnât appear in its pure form on earth
Expensive
Hard to transport and store
Must be compressed to 700 times atmospheric pressure or refrigerated at -253C
Likes to explode http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
It doesnât appear in its pure form on earthExpensiveHard to transport and storeMust be compressed to 700 times atmospheric pressure or refrigerated at -253CLikes to explode http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
To get hydrogen, an electric current is run through water to split the oxygen and hydrogen atoms apart.That takes energy, which really ought to be green http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
One application currently gets a lot of hype: hydrogen-powered vehicles.
But on almost every count, vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells lose against their âclean energyâ rivals â electric cars running on batteries http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
But on almost every count, vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells lose against their âclean energyâ rivals â electric cars running on batteries http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
For a start, hydrogen cars are only half as efficient:
If an electric car converts 86% of the energy originally harnessed by a wind turbine into moving the vehicle forward, the hydrogen car has access to only about 45% http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
If an electric car converts 86% of the energy originally harnessed by a wind turbine into moving the vehicle forward, the hydrogen car has access to only about 45% http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
Compared to an electric car, a car with a hydrogen fuel cell:
Has more moving parts
More expensive to maintain
Canât be âreloadedâ at home
Thatâs bad news for Toyota, Hyundai and Honda, who have placed the biggest bets on hydrogen in transportation http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
Has more moving partsMore expensive to maintainCanât be âreloadedâ at homeThatâs bad news for Toyota, Hyundai and Honda, who have placed the biggest bets on hydrogen in transportation http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
Hydrogen also doesnât make sense for trains: It eliminates the need to electrify the track, but locks in a more complex, less efficient solution.
Itâs only long-haul flights or 
oceanic shipping where hydrogen starts to make sense http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
The solution to climate change is to power everything with electricity from renewable sources.
But thatâs the problem: We simply canât run everything on electricity. And we wonât ever have enough sun and wind to keep the lights on all the time, everywhere http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
But thatâs the problem: We simply canât run everything on electricity. And we wonât ever have enough sun and wind to keep the lights on all the time, everywhere http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
Hereâs where hydrogen becomes useful.
It could be the fuel that picks up the slack whenever the clean power grids of the future canât keep up http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
It could be the fuel that picks up the slack whenever the clean power grids of the future canât keep up http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
It could look something like this:
Electrolyze hydrogen when we have excess sun or wind
Store it underground near our power grids, where it can be used during lulls in direct electricity generation
Hydrogen then makes decarbonization possible http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
Electrolyze hydrogen when we have excess sun or windStore it underground near our power grids, where it can be used during lulls in direct electricity generationHydrogen then makes decarbonization possible http://trib.al/WqkEVDF
