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My understanding is expensive material for hydrogen production was to increase the efficiency of the system (because energy is costly and not from renewable sou
by kumarvvr 5y ago
My understanding is expensive material for hydrogen production was to increase the efficiency of the system (because energy is costly and not from renewable sources).
With the proliferation of installed solar capacity, and availability of low cost renewable energy, the economics of H2 production allow for use of lower efficient systems, with focus on reducing exotic materials in the system.
- glogla 5y agoSolar makes up 2 % or world electricity. Wind 5 %. Coal and natural gas together make up 61 %. Where is this solar capacity? Where is this available low cost renewable energy? We are decades away from making the renewables our main electricity source if there were massive investment into it, meanwhile we are building new coal and gas plants instead. And the electricity demand is still going up. Even if things go way better than anyone can predict, we will never have enough energy to throw it away on inefficient hydrogen, not in a lifetime of anyone currently on Hacker News. The whole H2 hype is just shilling for oil and gas, whether the people perpetuating it know it or not.
- pfdietz 5y agoSomeone doesn't really understand exponential growth. Of course we can have the capacity, after just a few more doublings.
- jhgb 5y ago> Solar makes up 2 % or world electricity. ...in 2018. It's 2021 already. In 2020 solar made up something like 3.2% (https://www.worldenergydata.org/world-electricity-generation/ https://www.worldenergydata.org/world-electricity-generation...). That alone is an increase of 0.6% per year. Even if nothing changed about PV buildup, it would still be headed for 15% in 2040. This rate is likely to increase, though.