I’m glad they at least mentioned, for those who read far enough down the article, that ultimately it’s powered by burning natural gas elsewhere to charge the hydrogen fuel cells [edit: please see my own response below]. I wasn’t sure if the AP had reached that level of ecological transparency/honesty yet so that’s good to see.
Someday when California’s energy grid is 100% renewable this type of craft will be an amazingly clean way to get around. … Unfortunately it’s not too likely that we will ever see that future before the global economy and most present political structures collapse.
I need to correct myself here and get more specific. It’s not only about what generates the electricity that powers the hydrogen extraction/isolation. It’s true that the current electrical grid is powered by a mix of activities that includes burning a lot of natural gas.
But it’s also true that the current cheapest (and therefore by far most common) means of hydrogen production is steam methane reforming, where the source of the hydrogen atoms is natural gas. And the byproducts are some carbon monoxide and dioxide.
In short, achieving truly green hydrogen production would require not just a green energy source but having that source be so inexpensive that it would be cheaper to make the hydrogen by electrolysis of water instead of by reforming methane. I don’t know enough to speculate how difficult or likely that will be.
I’m glad they at least mentioned, for those who read far enough down the article, that ultimately it’s powered by burning natural gas elsewhere to charge the hydrogen fuel cells [edit: please see my own response below]. I wasn’t sure if the AP had reached that level of ecological transparency/honesty yet so that’s good to see.
Someday when California’s energy grid is 100% renewable this type of craft will be an amazingly clean way to get around. … Unfortunately it’s not too likely that we will ever see that future before the global economy and most present political structures collapse.
I need to correct myself here and get more specific. It’s not only about what generates the electricity that powers the hydrogen extraction/isolation. It’s true that the current electrical grid is powered by a mix of activities that includes burning a lot of natural gas.
But it’s also true that the current cheapest (and therefore by far most common) means of hydrogen production is steam methane reforming, where the source of the hydrogen atoms is natural gas. And the byproducts are some carbon monoxide and dioxide.
In short, achieving truly green hydrogen production would require not just a green energy source but having that source be so inexpensive that it would be cheaper to make the hydrogen by electrolysis of water instead of by reforming methane. I don’t know enough to speculate how difficult or likely that will be.