Why spend a trillion if you don’t need it? Hydrogen in a smart way – Increased efficiency thanks to that?
Let’s say a hundred years ago some bewildered soul migrated from Russia to this country, I don’t know, Russian revolution or husband and wife, whatever. Suppose he/she became a wealthy industrialist and built a lot of things, and among the achievements was the construction of a major airport that became a major hub link in a distribution center. global distribution (hey, it’s just a thought exercise, no evaluation). The development center included warehouses and trucking operations and you can name it, and wealth spread across the land thanks to this monolith.
Then let’s say a new kind of cargo jet arrives on the scene, one so massive that it can’t land on that airport’s runway. Cargo jets are quickly becoming world domination and the huge airport hub in question will be rendered useless unless the runway can be stretched the length of a football field and longer. lots of space. If it is not expanded, cargo traffic will begin to reroute to different centers handling traffic, and the entire structure will fall into disuse and fill up with squatters. and the mouse and the next generation of punk rock.
What would you think if the elected regional government scrapped the entire transport/distribution complex and built a new one instead of expanding the runway, just because the original builder was Russian, and the Russia under Putin is now trying to survive in the 15th century a vision of ape-like glory (and failing spectacularly – Ukraine standing before such a bully would become legendary).
That is essentially what is happening in the energy world. Decarbonization efforts are everywhere (International Energy Agency say currently more than half of all energy jobs worldwide are in the field of “clean energy” – a staggering statistic and everyone says “we are not doing enough” ). Even at the heart of the oil stain, there is little if any opposition to environmental progress, although the rationale for pursuing a policy “in the name of the environment” is by no means uniform (some habitat conservation above all, some CO2 emissions, some air pollution, etc.) .29dk2902lhttps://boereport.com/29dk2902l.html
But decarbonization, as it should now be, is unbelievably difficult. People are starting to dawn (save a few climate warriors hiding in the trees that haven’t realized the war is over), destroying the world’s hydrocarbon-based system and replacing it with something new. completely different is a pipe dream, for the future half a century anyway. The solid laws of industrial development simply won’t allow for rapid energy transitions based on the removal of hydrocarbon supplies; It takes forever to build anything, and the first sign of voter stress, turtle politicians, subsidizing energy bills, and quietly burning coal plants. However, those who cling to the dream of reinventing domination do so with a vengeance, and we will pay the price – through a hugely reduced standard of living, or ultimately through our tax bill. we. Someone has to pay for everything.
And since someone has to pay for everything, it’s imperative that we spend every penny wisely.
For example, consider hydrogen. Hydrogen, despite its many problems, is becoming a dominant topic in current energy discussions as a fuel of the future. (In the classics 2019 Fossil fuel madness is overwidely regarded as one of the top three energy books ever by an author from Division 7 of the Northeastern Saskatchewan Campus, author cleverly provides an inscrutable summary of the value of hydrogen as a transition fuel.) Hydrogen is a clean-burning fuel and when used as a fuel in a fuel cell, only water is the output.
There are different ways to generate hydrogen as a fuel, with the source now annoyingly color-coded to ensure that some methods are considered ethically superior to others ( certainly not economically). Green hydrogen is considered the climate gold standard, generated from renewable energy. Any other color implies a diminishing degree of respect among policymakers, depending on the presence of hydrocarbons in the supply chain and/or the emissions involved therein.
Green hydrogen as a common fuel source would be pretty cool, and also a good application for the thousands of windmills and solar panels that are being used to mitigate emissions, disrupting a wide range of ecosystems. local state and flummox grid operators are restless with their potential for disruption and unreliability. But to become such a significant component of global energy consumption the costs will be enormous (green hydrogen is expensive compared to other sources when it comes to infrastructure costs, not to mention the challenge of finding enough water). ).
One would think and hope that policymakers, if so enamored with hydrogen, would seek to leverage existing infrastructure in any way possible first of all, because even in the black hole of bureaucracy, one must know that building new infrastructure of any kind is up to the challenge.
There are ways, or at least ways that show great potential, to generate hydrogen cleanly and on a large scale that any government should be at the forefront before pursuing investment exercises. billions of dollars in value that “looks good on paper.” Consider the pyrolysis of methane, a process by which natural gas (from the existing common system) is heated in a reactor in such a way that it decomposes the gas into hydrogen and “soot”, a substance used in plastics, printing inks and rubber products, follow this University of Alberta article.
Carbon black can also be configured (I know, process engineers, don’t shoot me) into other high value carbon materials like carbon nanotubes or carbon fiber or graphene (I know very little about any which of these but carbon fiber looks really expensive, is incredibly strong (pioneer in the Fomula 1′ automotive chassis), and looks really great as a silly priced option in your average Ferrari).
The beauty of methane pyrolysis is that it utilizes to a large extent trillions of dollars worth of infrastructure and knowledge that has been developed and time-tested and works extremely efficiently. Consider the challenges of distributing gas through a piping system, from 36-inch (or larger) mains to small low-pressure lines that provide heating, cooking, and drying services. (about half a house in the US rely on natural gas).
Think about the cost of implementing that system and the cost of duplicating it with something else. In addition to residential uses, this same natural gas system fuels most of the world’s industrial processes including fertilizer production and the processing of many metals/materials. importance. Giving up the natural gas system in favor of something else is madness, if any alternative. And have.
There are hundreds of thousands of miles of natural gas pipelines underground, across the globe. We have vast natural gas resources around the world. We have a highly skilled workforce that is extremely good at finding and producing natural gas. Unbelievably large capital investment and knowledge base. Yet governments are willing to look at that whole enchilada and say, “meh, I’d rather throw it all in a container and build something else from scratch. In ten years.” Or 3 years, as Trudeau promised Germany for a supply of green hydrogen, an idea that still roams the corridors of every active/energy-conscious brain, trying to find Looking for a welcome, so far, it wanders alone.
The technology behind methane pyrolysis is well established and the processes involved are well understood (current research is focused on making the process more efficient). Hydrogen can be produced without building wind farms, solar fields, and/or developing carbon capture/absorption schemes needed to decarbonize in traditional hydrogen generation processes.
According to the same U of A paper, hydrogen could provide up to 30% of Canada’s end-use energy and up to 24% of global energy needs by 2050. If we rely on programs like blue hydrogen from wind/solar, the numbers will most likely remain in the realm of wishful thinking. If we can develop something like the pyrolysis of methane, the goal might be within reach – mainly because we don’t have to reinvent an entire new energy system. The pyrolysis of methane won’t work everywhere on earth; it may be limited to areas with extensive natural gas infrastructure/development.
Another potential downside, as one of the genius engineers in the field pointed out to me, is that, if this technology becomes widespread, it will generate a huge amount of carbon and could cover the entire market. school. However, such a cheap source of all-purpose raw material could develop a range of new options for its commercial use. It will be an interesting and fascinating prospect that you have to deal with. And the world is pretty well covered with natural gas infrastructure, so we’ll all be very old people before all of those potential development sites run out.
Canada is extremely active in hydrogen development, including at the heart of the oil patch which is said to be uninterested in new energy ideas (so much, the patch just wants to tackle the topic in a smart way). and efficiency).
The so-called ‘turquoise hydrogen’ sector includes many companies such as Innova Hydrogen, Aurora Hydrogen, Ekona Power, Monolith Corp. (apart from Nebraska), New Canadian Energy, and others feel free to remind me that I’ve missed them. Several of these entities have begun production, including Monolith, which has also signed a letter of intent and a partnership agreement with Goodyear to use carbon black in tire production.
This is a very interesting tool. It’s true, the technology works and it can be a huge boost towards emissions reductions – and it could create a whole new industry. Or industries.
Hydrogen via methane pyrolysis is a new type of capital-efficient energy scenario that governments should be most concerned about.
Recent studies show that some people have yet to buy this book. That could explain a lot of the chaos. Watch “Fossil Fuel Madness” at Amazon.ca, Indigo.caor Amazon.com. It’s not late yet. Thanks for the support. And hang there Ukraine! The world is cheering for you.
Read more insightful analysis from Terry Etam here, or email Terry here.
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