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Thursday, July 16, 2020

Everything you need to know about hydrogen ... in five minutes

Two primary methods 
of producing hydrogen:

1) Steam reforming
This process typically uses 
natural gas as the feedstock, 
but produces CO2 emissions
as a by-product. 

Carbon capture 
and storage of the CO2
would be necessary. 

Not all of the CO2 
can be captured. 

Allowing for upstream
emissions, the process 
will only reduce CO2 
emissions by 60 to 85%, 
compared to burning 
natural gas.

The cost of producing 
hydrogen via steam reforming 
with CCS is estimated to be 
triple the current wholesale price 
of natural gas (before adding 
distribution costs).


2) Electrolysis
According to IEA figures, 
the cost of production 
via electrolysis is about 
three times as much 
as steam reforming
( nine times more 
than natural gas ).


Hydrogen for heating
Full electrification
(mainly heat pumps).

But heat pumps can't
meet peak demand 
in winter.


Hydrogen for Transport
Running costs seem 
similar to gasoline cars, 
but the vehicle cost
could be double the price 
of a conventional car. 

BMW revealed that
a fuel-cell power-train 
is around 10 times 
more expensive
than an equivalent 
electric one.

The lack of any proper 
refueling infrastructure
is a huge problem

There would be no logic 
in spending billions 
of public money 
for electric car charging 
points, and upgrading 
electricity networks, 
if we are going to be 
driving hydrogen cars.


Mercedes halted 
their development 
of hydrogen cars. 

Car manufacturers 
can't afford to develop 
electric and hydrogen 
technology at the 
same time.

For tractor trailer trucks, 
medium sized trucks 
and buses, hydrogen 
could be useful



There are 
real pollutants 
from combustion of 
fossil hydrocarbons 
which do not result 
from extremely pure 
synthetic fuels. 

There is is 
no sulphur,
so no SOX, 
NOX production
is negligible and 
no PM2.5 
particulates.

Injecting these
real pollutants
into the atmosphere 
is not a good idea.

But CO2 itself
is not pollution.

CO2 is the 
staff of life
n our planet.