Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

agate_ t1_j06x9cs wrote

Reply to comment by An8thOfFeanor in [OC] Cost of Carbon Zero - Historical Look At U.S. Funding of Fusion Energy by Metalytiq

Meh. If you've got enough cheap energy, you can make gasoline from scratch.

13

Eldan985 t1_j0761hy wrote

We can just make biodiesel, that's easier. We already have transgenic algae that produce useful oil in high concentrations, and they don't need much more than water and sunlight.

5

Brittainicus t1_j082snm wrote

Yeah but with unlimited energy we can just turn air into biofuels directly skipping the plant part if we just brute force it

2

HardCounter t1_j078gdv wrote

Water... you mean like from the toilet?

0

Eldan985 t1_j078t50 wrote

Sunlight. IT's what plants crave.

2

HardCounter t1_j079gq7 wrote

I mean, i guess i can share my stash of Sunlight with a plant. Not sure how the bong would fit. Also, isn't that cannibalism?

1

Eldan985 t1_j079u3p wrote

Nah. A plant eating another plant is like an animal eating another animal.

1

HardCounter t1_j07ai3s wrote

Ohgod, so you're saying i'm a cannibal? That's mean.

1

HardCounter t1_j078cqo wrote

Liquid batteries also exist now. I know nothing about their volatility or efficiency, but they do exist.

2

ignigenaquintus t1_j07844q wrote

Why though? Better make hydrogen, it has higher energy density and it’s use don’t create anything toxic.

0

agate_ t1_j079qap wrote

> higher energy density

Higher energy density per mass, but much much lower energy density per volume, which really matters if you're building a vehicle. There's only so much room inside an airplane for fuel tanks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density#/media/File:Energy_density.svg

But regardless, whether it's gasoline or hydrogen, the point is that with enough free energy you can synthesize any fuel you need.

1

ignigenaquintus t1_j07ieex wrote

Well yes, but with a specific energy about three times the one of gasoline and a specific density of about 1/4 of gasoline the reduction in energy per unit of volume isn’t so massive and the benefits on the reduction of negative externalities is very very significant. Please correct me if I am wrong but in theory we would need deposits that are 33% bigger in volume, correct?, the problem is the temperature necessary to keep it liquid of course. And as important volume is, weight may be an even bigger factor for some transport systems, like airplanes.

In any case the point, as you mention, is that with more and cheaper energy we could sintetice the fuel.

1