If I’ve learned one thing from the cleantech funding bust, it is that many of these would be more successfully funded as basic research than as startups. The iteration and development timelines and sales cycles don’t really fit the standard venture fundable startup model.

I think hydrogen should get a huge push because it completes a zero impact ecosystem.

If the hydrogen is powered from solar/wind, then fuel cells process that into heat for homes, electricity for lights, and purified water for drinking.

Hydrogen is not economical for most use cases.

For example if you have solar/wind energy, you can transfer it very efficiently over existing power grid to provide energy for heating or lights. Transmission losses in power lines are 8-15% so the efficiency is 85%+ (https://blog.schneider-electric.com/energy-management-energy...)

If you do the same via hydrogen, you have to convert solar energy into hydrogen. That conversion is only 16% efficient i.e. you loose 84% of solar energy (https://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2017/1117-nrel-establishes-w...).

Then you have to transport the hydrogen from where it's made to where it's used. That's additional expense and efficiency loss.

Then you have to convert hydrogen back into energy. Additional loss of efficiency.

It just doesn't make sense economically (https://phys.org/news/2006-12-hydrogen-economy-doesnt.html).

Hydrogen is not an electricity source. It doesn't compete with solar or wind.

It's electricity storage. It competes with batteries and it's not winning there either because of much greater efficiency losses and the fact that you would have to build (expensive) infrastructure (think network of gas stations, except for hydrogen).

Great points, but don't lose the trees in the forest: This isn't about efficiency, it's about convenience. Fueling a car for 400miles in 2m is acceptable at 16% efficiency if the energy wasted is "free". That's not possible with battery technology.

It's possible if you allow for battery swapping.

I think that'd be cool! The problem is batteries are worth so much $ the accountants get a little uppity when we stay exchanging a warranty part that costs $8k

Working on it already - from seawater & renewables