It seems like all the financial sights are pumping hydrogen fuel cells a lot. It may be the next best thing...or not.
Hydrogen
- Thread starter TraderTom1133
- Start date
- 20 years ago hydrogen fuel cells were the rage - Ballard Power (BLDP.TO) was a market leader.
- Hydrogen fuel cell powered test buses got lots of media attention.
- Then it all faded away.
- Below is a chart of Ballard Power (BLDP.TO) - the spike is from the year 2000.
Ballard Power (BLDP.TO)
I don't think hydrogen fuel cells will make a comeback.
Nah, still waiting to buy a 5100 lb hydrogen-powered BMW 7-series with a V12 that produces 256 HP and gets 4.7 mpg on hydrogen. Yeah, I know it's not a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. It just burns the hydrogen as fuel in the slightly modified combustion engine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Hydrogen_7
I toured Ballard Power around the time they were coming out with a commercial stationary power fuel cell. That was 40 years ago. During the Vancouver/Whistler 2010 Olympics there was a fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses in Whistler moving people. The hydrogen was manufactured and trucked from Quebec. As soon as the contract ended they got rid of the buses. The maintenance was much higher than the Diesel buses.
In m opinion hydrogen is a bad fuel. It has to be manufactured (usually from natural gas). It has to be stored under high pressure. It leaks though everything. It's corrosive (acid is hydrogen ions). The hydrogen life cycle (making it and converting it to electricity) is inefficient.
The idea of green hydrogen (splitting water using solar energy) is so inefficient compared to charging a battery with your solar panels that it's dumb dumb dumb.
In m opinion hydrogen is a bad fuel. It has to be manufactured (usually from natural gas). It has to be stored under high pressure. It leaks though everything. It's corrosive (acid is hydrogen ions). The hydrogen life cycle (making it and converting it to electricity) is inefficient.
The idea of green hydrogen (splitting water using solar energy) is so inefficient compared to charging a battery with your solar panels that it's dumb dumb dumb.
It seems Musk is of this opinion too, counter to that of Gates et al so the two of them being so vocal in their opposition/support could be helping price move.
China’s steel capital to turn itself into a hydrogen hub
https://chinadialogue.net/en/digest/chinas-steel-capital-to-turn-itself-into-a-hydrogen-hub/
https://chinadialogue.net/en/digest/chinas-steel-capital-to-turn-itself-into-a-hydrogen-hub/
So far the best grid storage is water. Pumping water into a hydroelectric reservoir is around 80% efficient. Coupling a renewable (like solar) with hydroelectric "standby" power actually makes sense. Especially in places like Lake Mead.