Reply #15: I agree - and the hydrogen haters are wrong

[jpak]

Will renewable hydrogen replace all our fossil fuel - and especially oil - consumption?

nope - and nuclear power can't either.

Can hydrogen serve as highly scalable energy storage medium for renewable power systems??

yup

Is electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen thermodynamically efficient???

yup - 85% EROI

Are hydrogen fuel cells efficient in producing electricity from hydrogen???

yup

Currently 60%+ for electricity (85% theoretical max.) and more than 80% efficient if used to produce both heat and power (CHP).

Total system efficiencies are ~65% for renewable electricity hydrolysis with fuel cell reformation and CHP.

Don't see much of a problem with them numbers.

(note: nucular power plants have thermal efficiencies of only ~30% and use only ~50% of the original 235U content of fresh fuel - but that's OK)

And you don't have to use fuel cells to generate heat and power from hydrogen. Current generation gas turbines use do it quite well.

That's what Denmark is considering...


www.risoe.dk/rispubl/nei/33030-0034.pdf


Are we all going to be riding around in hydrogen cars In The Year 2525...

(nope - that's a conceited crock-o-shite)

But will hydrogen from renewable energy sources make a significant contribution to our economy by then (and be used to produce nitrogen fertilizers when the natural gas runs out)????

Their ain't no Law of Physics that sez it can't...