Hydrogen is dammed interesting stuff, Ben Richie in the sr71 days had fun with it.
As a fuel for cars , why ?
Hydrogen is more damaging to the atmosphere than co2 !
If it comes from renewable electricity , then the efficiency is terrible , just research how much is lost between source and time it gets into cars tank !
Hydrogen is pushed by oil companies , so they can keep their gas refill stations open,
As for oil , the atmosphere can take it if we burn all the oil we have already discovered, why do we need more oil ?

 

Hydrogen is pushed by oil companies....

Oil companies push whatever is politically correct and expedient at the moment.

They are in one of the most highly regulated and taxed industries in the world, and need politicians to write legislation that benefits them to the greatest extent possible.

Big Oil is not the problem. Big Government is.

 

Having worked with hydrogen and its foibles I have no desire to use it for fuel. Unlike most gases, when a leak occurs, it can and will autoignite without any other source of ignition. Much like an alcohol fire, it is almost invisible and hard to detect. You can douse it with water, but as long as it is leaking it has its own source of ignition. Which requires some special engineering as to shutoff and high temperature materials.

About Hydrogen as a fuel.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2009/05/14/213138/q-a-steven-chu/

If you need four miracles, that’s unlikely: saints only need three miracles

https://physics.stanford.edu/people/steven-chu

 

Eliminating fossil fuels in industry is easy!

All we need are: penalties for using fossil fuels, higher energy prices, and subsidies. Toss in a bit of grift and further deprivation of the least among us (along with a manageable amount of starvation and death), and we are there, baby!

 

Eliminating fossil fuels in industry is easy!

All we need are: penalties for using fossil fuels, higher energy prices, and subsidies. Toss in a bit of grift and further deprivation of the least among us (along with a manageable amount of starvation and death), and we are there, baby!

Another is a series of pipe in the sky papers and reports. Plant equipment lasts 30-40 years and Thermodynamics is a cruel mistress.

 

Eliminating fossil fuels in industry is easy!

All we need are: penalties for using fossil fuels, higher energy prices, and subsidies. Toss in a bit of grift and further deprivation of the least among us (along with a manageable amount of starvation and death), and we are there, baby!

Is this the route your proposing @joeyd999 ?
Sounds a bit drastic to me , but your entitled to your view.

 

Is this the route your proposing @joeyd999 ?
Sounds a bit drastic to me , but your entitled to your view.

Yes. The "d" in joeyd stands for "deprivation and death".

 

I have I've never had it autoignite.

I neglected to mention that we were using it to hydrogenate resin at high pressure through palladium catalyst reactors. I did have an Air Products delivery driver also tell me that he often arrived on site to find his truck outlet valve aflame. I don't recall exactly what the pressure was coming off our compressor pumps but it was in the 100s of psi. That area had to use mineral insulated instrumentation "cable" which is a copper tube filled with a mineral insulating compound and the twisted pair due to the many fires in the area. Also used in naval ships as fireproofing. It used to be almost all Pulp and Paper plants had an adjunct Salt Cell Electrolysis plant nearby. Large lead cells with mercury as either anode or cathode, can't remember which. Fill the cell with salt brine and turn the juice on to generate Chlorine (used to bleach paper) and NaOH (used to digest wood chips) and giving off Hydrogen as a byproduct. Problem was the hydrogen was typically mercury contaminated which we had to filter out to prevent "poisoning" our very expensive catalyst beds in the reactors. Which is why the salt cell plant was shut down and became an EPA contamination site and we had to start buying it by the truckload. Our hydrogen storage tank were surplus from the nearby Glynco Naval Air base that housed Blimps for coastal patrol during WWII and were their Helium Storage tanks repurposed for hydrogen storage.

 

Grift as far as the eye can see, and beyond.

 

I considered posting this in 'Unmitigated', but it belongs here for the long term.

I didn't get a paywall the first two times I opened it. YMMV.

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/end-of-...california-policy-failures-7c4478a1?st=8i1r67

 

I considered posting this in 'Unmitigated', but it belongs here for the long term.

I didn't get a paywall the first two times I opened it. YMMV.

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/end-of-...california-policy-failures-7c4478a1?st=8i1r67

"Green energy doesn’t replace fossil fuels, it enables more energy consumption overall"

True that.

https://www.greenchoices.org/news/b...hen-efficiency-leads-to-increased-consumption
The Jevons Paradox: When Efficiency Leads to Increased Consumption

Energy Efficiency and Consumption:

The most prominent example of the Jevons Paradox can be seen in the energy sector. As energy-efficient technologies emerge, individuals and businesses are motivated to increase their consumption due to reduced costs. For instance, the advent of energy-efficient lighting, such as LED bulbs, has led to widespread adoption. However, the overall energy consumption for lighting has not decreased significantly because the reduced cost per light unit has prompted people to install or use more lights for extended periods. Hence the proliferation of outdoor lighting products and the number of homes lit up at Christmas.

Digital Technology and Energy Consumption:

The rise of digital technology and the internet has undoubtedly brought numerous benefits to society. Yet, the proliferation of intelligent devices and data centres has substantially increased energy consumption. Despite the improved efficiency of individual devices, the overall energy demand has surged due to the expanding usage of digital technologies.

 

https://nypost.com/2025/01/19/opini...upt-the-entire-world-for-little-to-no-reward/

 

Sorry for the paywall.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/01/22/wind-power-collapses-less-1pc-uk-energy/

 

Sorry for the paywall.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/01/22/wind-power-collapses-less-1pc-uk-energy/

View attachment 341082

Yes , wind is variable in any one area .
Does USA not have a nationwide power grid ?
Does the USA not have substantial solar farms. .
Does the USA not have considerable storage ?

 

Yes , wind is variable in any one area .
Does USA not have a nationwide power grid ?
Does the USA not have substantial solar farms. .
Does the USA not have considerable storage ?

"Near-zero wind speeds and low temperatures have left the UK dependent on France, Norway, Belgium and Denmark to keep the lights on through much of today, with the countries collectively supplying more than 10pc of the UK’s electricity through undersea cables."

This is a huge weakness and a significant cost to UK 'subjects'.

The USA intends to be a net exporter of energy again.

 

"Near-zero wind speeds and low temperatures have left the UK dependent on France, Norway, Belgium and Denmark to keep the lights on through much of today, with the countries collectively supplying more than 10pc of the UK’s electricity through undersea cables."

This is a huge weakness and a significant cost to UK 'subjects'.

The USA intends to be a net exporter of energy again.

Good point ,
But uk normaly imports from Europe, we have a euro grid, that connects Spain in the south with lots of solar, to Norway in the north with lots of hydro and pump storage . Yes uk should invest more in storage , and Europe is investing in connections of grid to solar farms I affrica,
The aim is to be an exporter of energy, but cheaper renewable.
When I was I calafornia , and drove out to bakersfield, usa seems to be using all that empty space for solar, a d large battery farms, Sounds a great idea.
Why would I or you want to pump more co2 etc into the atmosphere than we have to ?

 

...but cheaper renewable.

No such thing. Stop the magical thinking.

Why would I or you want to pump more co2 etc into the atmosphere than we have to ?

Because the plants like it.

 

No such thing. Stop the magical thinking.



Because the plants like it.

Can you share some published papers to back up your claims please.
Would be interesting to read ,
Thanks

BTW.
https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s...we-want-to-drop-carbon-as-quickly-as-possible
https://www.statista.com/forecasts/...energy-versus-fossil-fuels-worldwide-forecast

 

Can you share some published papers to back up your claims please.
Would be interesting to read ,
Thanks

BTW.
https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s...we-want-to-drop-carbon-as-quickly-as-possible
https://www.statista.com/forecasts/...energy-versus-fossil-fuels-worldwide-forecast

No. Do your own research.

 

No. Do your own research.

I have and provided links, your statements sound like my kids thoughts on the tooth fairy .