Barrel_go_BRRR t1_iwrp77j wrote on November 17, 2022 at 9:08 PM

Reply to comment by Sp3llbind3r in Overhyping hydrogen as a fuel risks endangering net-zero goals by filosoful

Maybe the production cost of hydrogen through PtX might fall heavily when we have an abundance of renewable energy, but isn't the storage of it still quite expensive? The more we have of it, the more it's gonna cost to store? (Just a random thought/question)

Sp3llbind3r t1_iwrwg2d wrote on November 17, 2022 at 9:57 PM

Sure it costs, as i think you need pressurized steel tanks. But we also store a huge amount of lpg.

The question is what we will use it for?

On vehicles for longer distances especially trucks? Combined with a plugin battery for short distances?

Replacing LPG or coal in industrial applications?

Maybe for load balancing in power grids? I'm not sure about that one.

We also should not use it to replace gas or oil heating in places connected to the power grid. That is way better served with heat pumps powered from the grid.

I think hydrogen is suited to be produced decentralized. I don't know if we need that huge stores, as it could be produced more on demand.
And i think we will need way less hydrogen then fossil fuels.

And i don't think it will be this or that but multiple options to suit the use case most efficiently.

bremidon t1_iwu0e83 wrote on November 18, 2022 at 9:56 AM

>We also should not use it to replace gas or oil heating in places connected to the power grid. That is way better served with heat pumps powered from the grid.

Some of us are not so lucky. We would *love* to use a heat pump in our home, but it would mean gutting a 200+ year old house and replacing the entire heating system.

Not only is that expensive, but I would have to work out what the environmental cost of that renovation is (as well as tossing out perfectly fine components) compared to the savings of getting a heat pump.

Now, if I were able to simply modify the boiler, then things become a bunch easier to calculate.

So sure, new houses should definitely go with heat pumps. But there are millions of houses that simply cannot make this level of renovation without defeating the purpose. Hydrogen might be really good here.