Japan's New Hydrogen Project

Re:Japan's New Hydrogen Project by Qwertious on Tuesday November 03, 2020 @09:33AM (#24979942)

"For instance, consider how a renewable-heavy grid relies on gas turbines to step in when there is a 'drought' in renewable production. Using 'blue' hydrogen to replace the natural gas for those turbines would immediately get a fully reliable, zero-carbon-emission grid. Then as renewable prices continue to fall, 'green' hydrogen can close the loop & eliminate fossil fuels altogether."

To be fair, in that instance the blue hydrogen would crowd out other battery investment, delaying cost reductions in actually renewable batteries.

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Re:Japan's New Hydrogen Project by lambdatronics on Wednesday November 04, 2020 @06:39PM (#24994218)

I'm not buying it. The lower round-trip efficiency of hydrogen means you only use it where batteries can't do the job (chemicals, air/sea travel, long-term grid storage). Batteries and hydrogen might both be competitive in certain niches (long-haul trucking, short-haul air/water, some train routes). As batteries continue to improve, they will actually cut into the addressable market for hydrogen, at least in mobility (chemicals and long-term storage are safe though).

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Re:Japan's New Hydrogen Project by Animats on Tuesday November 03, 2020 @04:39PM (#24984305)

With lithium-ion batteries you get back about 95% of the energy you put in.

If you're starting from electricity, a water to hydrogen to power system gets maybe a third or a half of that.[1]

[1] https://insideevs.com/news/406676/battery-electric-hydrogen-...

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