Because hydrogen isn’t trying to replace the source of energy, it is trying to replace the storage of it
yes, but the point is renewables>battery storage is a more direct and efficient storage system than renewables>hydrogen which then has to be contained, shipped, and distributed for every refill/charge. Batteries you make once and recharge thousands of times which you can do with distribution through the grid from your local power utility (or even right at home if you have solar).
at present batteries are not nearly good enough for the EV only transportation boom, but hydrogen works and only really needs to deal with the volatility issue
it’s not just volatility that’s an issue. Even setting that aside, Hydrogen is difficult to contain because it’s such a small molecule, and it weakens/corrodes metals. These are not trivial challenges at all.
the other thing you can’t do with hydrogen is energy recovery via braking, so you’d have to build cars with a battery or some other kind of hybrid system for fuel cost efficiency.
It’s true that batteries present their own challenges but we are making much more progress in battery tech than we are with hydrogen.
yes, but the point is renewables>battery storage is a more direct and efficient storage system than renewables>hydrogen which then has to be contained, shipped, and distributed for every refill/charge. Batteries you make once and recharge thousands of times which you can do with distribution through the grid from your local power utility (or even right at home if you have solar).
it’s not just volatility that’s an issue. Even setting that aside, Hydrogen is difficult to contain because it’s such a small molecule, and it weakens/corrodes metals. These are not trivial challenges at all.
the other thing you can’t do with hydrogen is energy recovery via braking, so you’d have to build cars with a battery or some other kind of hybrid system for fuel cost efficiency.
It’s true that batteries present their own challenges but we are making much more progress in battery tech than we are with hydrogen.
Didn’t they just start shipping grid size salt batteries too?