H2 will be the future only because it gives Oil & Gas industries an exit strategy from hydrocarbon and all the logistics already invested around it. If that is the price that it takes for us to move forward without obstructionist lobbying and think-tank disinformation from Oil & gas industries so be it.
I appreciate the argument of energy density but there is a handful of applications (aviation?) where there is a real need for setting up all the hydrogen generation infrastructure.
Something governments really need to consider implementing are superfund cleanups of the existing tanks. While some stations ( (especially those at highways where 100+ mile trips are likely) may convert to electric or possibly hydrogen, we have only 2-3 years before 50% of 80% of trips can be "fueled" fromm home.
- The fill nozzles for hydrogen cars are insulated.
- Gas stations manage pressure tanks for propane already, with no problem.
- Automated pressure monitoring has been a solved problem since the steam engine.
- Hydrogen crackers don’t create superfund sites. If they leak, they leak water, hydrogen and oxygen.
A hydrogen cracker can just be plopped down wherever electricity and water are available. You probably need an attendant because of vandals, bathrooms, snacks, etc, like a current gas station. This is why current commercial crackers are often found at existing gas stations.
So if (as per that website) you have to replace the pipelines themselves and much of the gear, is the value of using existing pipelines really just that the right-of-ways, permitting, surveying and meta-infrastructure (roads to the pipelines, supporting construction, etc) are already in place?
I appreciate the argument of energy density but there is a handful of applications (aviation?) where there is a real need for setting up all the hydrogen generation infrastructure.