I hate to disagree with you guys but you leave me no choice. IMHO the use of hydrogen and solar for energy will be the permanent solution to our energy problems. The hydrogen and solar economy is the answer even though it appears to be a distant dream at the present time. Solar thermal energy will make it possible to separate vast amounts of h2 from ordinary water which can then be used for portable and storeable energy that solar alone cannot provide.
Of course many other renewable energies will contribute but solar and hydrogen will be the holy grail that enables us to abandon fossil fuels. I think batteries will always be useful but they will not be the primary source of our energy...not for vehicles or home use. Hydrogen fuelcells and solar power will be king.
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Originally Posted by Patrick
Johnny, I was responding to Cap when he said "Maybe the solar plants can also produce enough hydrogen fuel for our energy use after dark and on cloudy days."
I agree that straight electric would be more efficient than hydrogen. I was merely pointing out the inability of a hydrogen economy to produce an equivalent amount of energy to what we are now getting from fossil fuels. In the process of converting water to hydrogen and oxygen you lose a significant amount of energy. It makes much more sense to use the solar panels to charge batteries rather than using them to make hydrogen out of water. I suppose hydrogen could be used to power machines which require more horsepower than can be provided by a typical battery? (trucks, farm equipment)
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