4 ms·
Electricity has a transmission problem though - there are some parts of the world with lots of clean energy, which we can't fully take advantage of because we c
by GhostVII 6y ago
Electricity has a transmission problem though - there are some parts of the world with lots of clean energy, which we can't fully take advantage of because we can't transport electricity that far. Hydrogen allows us to use that clean energy to power cars in other parts of the world, since you can produce hydrogen in those places and then ship it to places without much clean energy. Also you can presumably stop and start hydrogen production as electricity demand changes (ex. Only produce it on sunny windy days where there is excess electricity) allowing you to shift the demand curve more easily than with electric cars.
- mrpopo 6y agoDo you know more about hydrogen transport? I heard it is quite more complicated and expensive than LNG (closest equivalent), because hydrogen leaks more easily.
- VBprogrammer 6y agoOne interesting approach is to convert the hydrogen again into ammonia (nh4). It's easier to store and is a very useful industrial feedstock in its own right.
- dehrmann 6y agoI don't buy that hydrogen transport could ever be more efficient than shipping high-voltage electrons over copper.
- jimmcslim 6y agoThere's also the issue of hydrogen embrittlement of steel, which is probably what causes the leaks I guess?
- hansvm 6y agoHydrogen is also really small and can seep out of seals that we would ordinarily consider air-tight.
- Gibbon1 6y agoI skimmed this http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2010/ph240/harting1/ http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2010/ph240/harting1/ Appearances is that losses in transmission lines are a few percent per 1000km. Across the US is about 4000km so you'd lose a little under 20%.
- kwhitefoot 6y ago> we can't transport electricity that far. How far is that far? HVDC only loses ten percent per 3000 km. That is it loses about ten percent transmitting almost from one end of Europe to the other. Just connect all the national grids together properly, especially in the east-west direction so that areas with sunlight can supply areas that are dark. Also add north-south interconnects to North Africa so that hot dry areas can supply cold wet ones. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_HVDC_projects https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_HVDC_projects