Quote:
Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr
Some 16 years ago I used to think Hydrogen would become viable in 20 or 30 years, but now I'm not so optimistic about it.
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But, it is not that electric drive is a non-starter, it is just that it needed an improvement in battery capabilities to make them viable. Now, they should become the front runner for moving people and goods short distances. With improvements in rapid charging, longer ranges become plausible. The underlying problem is still battery cost.
Hydrogen is not really competing against electricity, it is competing against batteries. It is not as efficient to produce green hydrogen as simply using electricity in a battery. However, hydrogen has some advantages that batteries cannot compete with. Energy density and storage are the biggest ones. Thus, I have preached capture of stranded energy. This is energy that is thrown away or lost because it is not useful locally and is too distant to bring to market.
Hydrogen can use electrical energy as well as heat energy in its production. It can be stored and, if bonded to a carbon atom, it can be a dense energy source with indefinitely long storage life.
The public view of the hydrogen industry as well as the industry itself has been narrow. Recently, a much more open look at what hydrogen has to offer is allowing companies to compete in certain markets that batteries simply cannot fill. The drastic reduction in fossil fuel prices puts a damper on things, but we all know it cannot last forever, whether in our lifetimes or that of our children.