Remember, TSMC do chip lithography with a light source that is generated by firing a laser at in flight drips of molten tin metal. The metal releases a wavelength of light that is then able to etc ultra precise lines on wafers for chips. That technology really didn't exist anywhere 40 years ago.
In many ways the plumbing problems of hydrogen are lower bars to get over. And worrying about a lack of infrastructure is also not a big issue. There's lots of engineer's who'll easily transition out of the LNG industry into great jobs working on these problems.
What does EUV lithography have to do with hydrogen’s generation expense, embrittlement of metals, flammability and lack of infrastructure?
You’re comparing semiconductor manufacturing, a domain so concentrated one firm (ASML) produces the world’s cutting-edge instrumentation, and so quick-moving our modern paradigms for growth (Moore’s law to venture capital) emerge from it, to building an international piping and shipping system for a novel fuel that speculatively competes with batteries. Nobody is asking if, given infinite time and resources, these problems could be solved. It’s whether the solution would be competitive with what we have. Unfortunately, this blind optimism is baseline for I’ve seen for hydrogen.
I'm sure people are working on the problem, but the laws of physics limit them.
http://orcutt.net/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/The-Trou...
There are so many, way, way, way more useful investments you can make. How about doing useful simple things that we are sure can be done successfully and we know for sure will save a lot of CO2 and emission.
Stuff like railway electrification.
If you want to have long range trucks be a thing, electrify the highway with trolley wires.
Hydrogen trains have already shown that they can't compete with electrification traditional or with battery. In trucks they are currently getting their ass kicked by battery trucks. So neither for trucks nor for trains does hydrogen really make much sense.
So why exactly should we invest in a gigantic hydrogen infrastructure. For the maybe 1% market share in trains and trucks?
And its not actually easy to reuse LNG infrastructure.
> And worrying about a lack of infrastructure is also not a big issue.
This is disproved by literally 5000 years of human history where huge infrastructure investments are always a big political problem. And even if projects are clearly of huge benefits they are difficult.
In terms of hydrogen infrastructure, nobody can make a case that it is actually worth it in the first place.
> There's lots of engineer's who'll easily transition out of the LNG industry into great jobs working on these problems.
Or we could make those engineers work on useful stuff like batteries, railway electrification, nuclear, metros and so on.
The problems stated by the OP are mostly maintenance problems. What is even worse, because you don't just pay once and they go away; you have to keep paying and they will come back if you ever lose focus on handling them.
> Freight rail regularly delays maintenance and upgrades until unavoidable for cost reasons.
They are gradually running down the infrastructure built 100 years ago into the ground and maintain at the bare minimum while making large profits.
> The US gov't is loathe to make American rail less competitive and force it to electrify, so they continue running polluting trains.
Electrification would make it even more profitable then it already is.
Pretty much every single study done on electrification shows that it pays for itself in a pretty reasonable amount of time. Given that this is something that would still be useful 100 years from now, the US government forcing all first class to invest in this would be of huge benefits both to them and to the US as a whole.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal-fired_power_station
Replacing a billion gasoline cars is going to take decades
We could’ve replaced coal plants two decades ago, however, and reduced emissions by 20% globally
The scaling problems facing battery electrics are dwarfed by those facing hydrogen. They’re also being aggressively solved in America, the EU and China.
Challenge. Where and how are these problems being addressed, other than hoping that people voluntary reduce demand when asked?
There are an absolute shit ton of battery factories being build. A huge ramp up in science and research.
There is also a huge ramp up in cathode and anode production facilities.
All major lithium companies have announced major build out of existing facilities and building new once as well.
A major expansion of both natural and synthetic graphite is being done.
Cobalt is not expanding as quickly but its getting systematically kicked out from the batteries anyway.
In addition to that, LFP batteries reduced the projected demand for nickel from batteries.
In addition to that CATL is introducing Sodium batteries as well.
So maybe you were not paying attention but there is a gigantic explosion in every part of the battery supply chain happening right now. With major private and public investment. There will still be some shortages of important materials, specially lithium however its certainty being worked on.
Of course there are also improvements in safety, reliability and so on. A huge amount of research and development.
Wave your magic wand to will everyone a Tesla, and watch the grid collapse the same instant.
While it remains to be seen if they build enough, they are planning for EVs. Where local laws allow it anyway. They see big $$$ from EVs replacing gas, and they want that money.
Many studies have been done and this and every study I have seen agrees that its not as big of a problem as many make it out to be.
In fact, I assume infrastructure for charging for EV owners without a home is the much larger infrastructure challenge.
> We could’ve replaced coal plants two decades ago, however, and reduced emissions by 20% globally
What we would have replaced coal with 20 years ago (and in fact what we did starting more than 20 years ago) is mostly natural gas, which itself pollutes, just less. (depending on what pollution you measure you will get different numbers for how much less) Wind and solar is coming along fast, and is also replacing coal plants (for nearly zero pollution) but we are already scaling those as fast as possible so to claim we could have done more 20 years ago is false.
I have been driving an electric car for 4 years, and it serves my needs beautifully. So, no, I strongly disagree. Electric cars are ready for most use cases and many people agree.
It’s weird how we have to have these silly discussions where people must know that they’re obviously wrong before commenting.
Replacing 1.3 billion cars is going to take decades.
I'm sure that the law will be rolled back a little when one of the 5-10% usecases where EVs don't work screams loud enough (probably shipping and remote areas), but it will become hard to find fuel for your gas car in a couple decades.
That gets us to around 2050.
27 years from now.
It’s weird how we have to have these silly discussions where people must know that they’re obviously wrong before commenting.
I agree . . . oh wait, you think I'm the one who is wrong. How bizarre.
[Edit] consensus established in February 2020
Beyond that you don't need it. Not needed for the waste majority of the things you suggest.
And often there are better solution then using hydrogen directly. For remote construction sites, just turn your hydrogen into anther syn fuel like methanol and run a conventional generator to power electric construction methods.
Hydrogen will be a niche use-case in all the areas you mentioned. And there are so many more important things to do.
For example, for construction, electrified railroads transporting all that gravel around rather then diesel.
Of course this wouldn't be a thing if people wisened up and built nuclear plant instead of wasting it on feel-good project with less than 20% of actual capacity (solar in Germany ... lol).
I dispute this claim.
Hydrogen Powered Train in Germany: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hydrogen-powered-p...
and here:
Hydrogen Powered Toyota: https://www.toyota.com/mirai/