Quote:
Originally Posted by RedDevil
I always meant battery powered electric cars. A hydrogen fuel cell car uses electricity just as a mediator. It is a series hybrid. Not an electric car that takes electricity as a primary power source.
Batteries have been improved massively in the last two decades. They will probably improve some more in the coming decades, especially considering charge time, longevity and cost.
So by the time nuclear power plants have regained a major position in the energy market, if that is to happen, batteries will be much better than they are today.
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Hydrogen IS a form of energy storage as is a battery. But battery storage is limited by the chemistries available. There are no more chemistries that will allow a doubling or tripling of energy densities. All that is left to "improve" batteries is to lower cost and improve their ability to accept fast charge without undue degradation of lifetime. Capacity improvements are now incremental. If you have any links showing me a battery chemistry that that will double energy density of batteries, please inform me. I'm all for it. But, I am confident you will not find it.
I am confident you will find hydrogen storage schemes that will improve density by leaps and bounds.
And I am not a proponent of a hydrogen for an everything solution. I support batteries where they do the most good. But, can you design me a long range battery pack that will compete in the trucking industry or the air transport? I can do that with a fuel cell or with analog hydrocarbons.
And as I have noted in the Rasa posts, there are areas of energy where the energy is so cheap it is thrown away. Why not store that throw away energy and transport it to a place where it can do good? Batteries are not long term storage and they are too costly to ship as energy transport media.
There is a place for hydrogen now and in the near future.