That’s really cool. Hydrogen has a bright future ahead of it. Many who claim otherwise always think reflexively of the automotive industry. Yes, hydrogen doesn’t stand a chance in cars, but there are so many other applications. Like oil and gas, hydrogen can be stored. That’s extremely important. Of course, there are also large-scale battery storage systems, but they’re expensive, inefficient, and require a lot of maintenance. Hydrogen (as a substitute for natural gas) is the perfect complement to renewable and nuclear power. We can store it for years in massive storage facilities and use it whenever we need it. The cost argument doesn’t hold water either. Prices aren’t competitive right now, but energy policy is a long-term game. Why shouldn’t hydrogen be competitive by 2035–40? It’s important that we expand the infrastructure, because only then can the market actually emerge. In Japan, they’re taking a slightly smarter approach. A hydrogen infrastructure is being built in partnership with companies like Kawasaki Heavy Industries, which is initially relying solely on “dirty” blue/gray hydrogen—which is much cheaper (~factor of 5)—and can be transitioned later. The government is also subsidizing the price for a while, so that companies bear only limited risk initially. Bilateral supply agreements are being signed with Australia and others. Because they can now be certain of demand, they are also expanding production. This fulfills the main prerequisite (infrastructure) and allows a market to emerge. In Germany, I think there’s too much emphasis on green hydrogen, which is significantly more expensive than “dirty” hydrogen. This slows down the development of the infrastructure, since it isn’t economically viable for anyone.
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@PikaPika0105 Australia is ideal for hydrogen production. Here, major mining companies are in the process of converting their vehicles, trains, and now even ships to hydrogen or electric power. And they are now getting into hydrogen production themselves.
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•@PikaPika0105 Kawasaki offers a complete hydrogen value chain—from production to transportation to storage.
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•@PikaPika0105 Indirectly, hydrogen will also play a major role in electric cars. An electric car only fulfills its purpose when powered by green electricity. We should be able to store and produce green electricity in the long term—in part—by using green hydrogen. So hydrogen is indirectly involved in electric cars as well.
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