Category: Climate Crisis

The Truth Behind The Hydrogen Hype

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The Truth Behind The Hydrogen Hype

Is hydrogen really a zero carbon fuel that we dream of?

The Truth Behind The Hydrogen Hype

Hydrogen is being touted as the fuel of the future, but new information suggests hydrogen could have serious implications for the climate. 

By D.S. Mitchell

Maybe Not The Golden Ticket

As the hydrogen hype machine revs up to a roar, investigators are discovering potential, undisclosed  hazards to the climate. Scientists are warning that hydrogen is not the golden ticket to stabilize the earth’s climate that supporters claim. One big problem is that hydrogen leaks and those leaks are harmful to the environment.

EDF’s Solutions Magazine Vol.54 No.2/Spring 2023

Hydrogen’s promise as a climate solution has fascinated Hollywood screenwriters, entrepreneurs, scientists, and governments, including China, India, the U.S. and EU for decades. According to McKinsey  & Co. investment in hydrogen manufacture is coming fast and furious as governments and individuals embrace hydrogen. Over the next decade 680  large scale hydrogen projects will be commenced worldwide at a projected cost of $240 billion.

Zero Carbon? Yes and No.

When hydrogen is burned or used in a fuel cell it produces zero carbon emissions. Wha-hoo, that fact is why hydrogen has become the holy grail of climate friendly energy. But as with all things, not so fast. Pure hydrogen is rarely found in nature. Because of that, hydrogen must be EXTRACTED from another source. Today nearly all hydrogen is extracted from coal and natural gas and that process releases carbon dioxide into the environment. Damn, that doesn’t sound good and it isn’t good. Investigators claim if “hydrogen production were a country it would rank as the world’s fourth largest source of carbon dioxide.” Staggering numbers when the small amount of hydrogen being produced is taken into consideration.

Green Hydrogen

Green hydrogen can be produced from water, using renewable energy. Unfortunately, less than 1% of hydrogen production is green. But, even green hydrogen isn’t harmless. When burned hydrogen creates nitrous oxides. Those pollutants can cause asthma, bronchitis, and heart disease. Furthermore,  hydrogen is leak prone with a potent climate warming effect that is not talked about, but needs to be addressed. As  EDF scientist, Ilissa Ocko said, “If hydrogen is going to deliver what its backers promise, we need to keep it from escaping (leaking) into the atmosphere.”

A Fully Hydrogen Powered World is Unlikely

Currently, hydrogen is used primarily in oil refining and the chemical industry. Otherwise, hydrogen use is on a very small scale in buses, cars, trucks, trains, and homes.  Ocko believes a fully hydrogen powered world is “unlikely and unnecessary.” In most cases renewable electricity is a more efficient choice. If hydrogen isn’t going to be universal where does its production make the most sense? The experts say it makes the most sense in heat-intensive industries, such as cement production, or in ships where electrification is difficult.

Keep ‘Em Close

Scientists are recommending the manufacture of hydrogen be close to where it will be used. It is important to minimize leaks during transportation. Experts agree that a hydrogen system that’s as leaky as the current natural gas system could lead to major problems for the environment and the climate. Locating, measuring, and sealing hydrogen leaks is a critical issue that will need to be solved.

How Dangerous Are Hydrogen Leaks

Hydrogen leaks are a safety hazard because hydrogen gas molecules are tiny and flammable.  Because hydrogen is an indirect greenhouse gas when it leaks it creates a chain of chemical reactions that raise levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Small hydrogen leaks are serious because they exacerbate global warming. Finding those small leaks, until recently was impossible. Today however a new sensor is showing success. By detecting tens of parts per billion of hydrogen within seconds, the sensor represents a technological breakthrough in hydrogen emissions detection. Tianyl Sun, an EDF scientist says, “right now we know very, very little about how much hydrogen leaks. Filling that gap in our understanding is critically important for the climate.”

The Future of Hydrogen

The future of hydrogen is up in the air. Hydrogen can be a key tool to cut climate pollution, but its dangers may outweigh its positives. As with most things, time will tell.

The Inflation Reduction Act At Work

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The Inflation Reduction Act At Work

 

The Inflation Reduction Act At Work

By D. S. Mitchell

In the Winter edition of “Solutions,” a publication of the Environmental Defense there was a brief article on the Inflation Reduction Act by Vanessa Glavinskas.  Ms. Glavinskas explained five benefits to the average American to facilitate the transition to clean renewable energy.  The new law allocates $369 billion to address climate change and promote lower-carbon living through rebates and tax credits. Listed below are five areas of your home where you can start saving money today.

The Roof: Time to add solar panels. The new law provides tax credits of up to 30% to households that invest in clean energy. The credit is retroactive to 2022. The typical cost for a residential solar set up is around $19,000. In that scenario a homeowner would save $5,700. The cost of the system is usually recouped within 12 years.

The Driveway: The new law gives tax credits of up to $4,000 for buying a used electrical vehicle and up to $7,500 for a new EV. The EV must have final assembly in North America to qualify. This means some brands won’t qualify. So if it is important to you to get those tax credits make sure you confirm that the EV you intend to buy was assembled in the U.S.A.

The Kitchen: Gas stoves leak the super pollutant methane, comparable to 500,000 gasoline powered cars. Furthermore gas stoves also release the carcinogenic benzene. If you want to transition to an electric stove, oven, or range there are rebates of up to $840.

The Laundry Room: Heat pump clothes dryers, rarely seen in the U.S. but popular in Europe take a bit longer to dry a load of clothes but are much more energy efficient than traditional models. Qualifying households can get a rebate of up to $840.

The Thermostat: A heat pump is an efficient way to heat and cool your home. With a heat pump the system transfers heat between your home and the outdoors and can save you hundreds of dollars annually. Most U.S. households can qualify for a tax credit up to $2,000. Low income families may be able to qualify for a tax credit of as much as $8,000 per installation.

 

 

Carbon Capture Is B.S.

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Carbon Capture Is B.S.

“Carbon capture and storage is a process in which a relatively pure stream of carbon dioxide from industrial sources is separated, treated and transported to a long-term storage location. For example, the carbon dioxide stream that is to be captured can result from burning fossil fuels or biomass.” Wikipedia

 

CARBON CAPTURE IS DANGEROUS BULL SHIT

By D. S. Mitchell

Oil companies are woke to the fact that carbon capture allows them to remain in business longer. I’m  sure there are CEO’s at the big oil companies who believe that all they have to do is bury their emissions and they can stay in business forever. CO2 is their industry waste, in other words, their damn garbage. It is the biggest driver of climate crisis and the greatest threat to our food and water supply. Carbon capture is a scheme of the fossil fuel industry that has found supporters in Washington, D. C.

The U.S. government, actually the U.S. taxpayer, is offering big bucks to companies working on carbon capture projects. The most conclusive thing we know so far about carbon capture is that it is a failure; a dangerous failure.  The dream of carbon capture “keeps the U.S. addicted to fossil fuels, degrades our agricultural land, threatens our water, and puts our communities and climate at risk.” Emma Schmit.

Summit Carbon Solutions, Navigator Heartland Greenway and Wolf Carbon are proposing nearly 4,000 miles of hazardous pipeline that will cross Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. Hopefully activists in those states will pressure state authorities to deny permits to applicants for these dangerous projects. In many cases these pipelines are seeking eminent domain to force landowners to deed them private property for the pipeline.

The question really is why when we know the safety concerns and the technology is a failure, why is our government still trying to make carbon capture happen? It is time to stop the scam. Time to stop the fossil fuel industry from playing games with our future.

5 Reasons Carbon Capture is Dangerous Bull Shit

  1. Carbon Storage And Transport Are Not Safe. When carbon pipelines rupture they can expel lethal levels of carbon dioxide, an invisible asphyxiant literally for miles surrounding the break. CO2 displaces oxygen, stalling combustion engines and impairing emergency response. CO2 can leak from storage containers and contaminate groundwater and soil.
  2. Carbon Capture A Colossal Failure. Billions of public and private monies have been spent over multiple decades developing carbon capture projects and it has proven a complete folly. The Densbury Pipeline outside Satartia, Mississippi and the Petra Nova coal plant in Texas are just two examples of leaks, ruptures, frequent shut offs and persistent technological problems.
  3.  Carbon Capture Is Energy Intensive. The United States emits approximately 5 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere annually. To capture a mere 25% of that figure would require nearly the entire electrical output of the nation.
  4. Carbon Capture Increases Emissions.  Due to both the life cycle of fossil fuels and the huge amount of energy required to capture carbon such projects in the U.S. have emitted more CO2 than it ever removed.  95% of the captured carbon is currently being used to extract more oil in a practice known as ‘enhanced oil recovery.”
  5. Carbon Capture Diverts Investments From Renewable Energy. Time is of the essence. We need to move to renewable energy to stop the worst effects of climate change, the greatest threat to our water, food, and a livable future. The switch from fossil to renewable sources will be slowed as long as the fossil fuel industry can convince the public and government officials to continue investing in carbon capture schemes instead of focusing on safe and proven clean energy solutions.

If you have little knowledge about the subject of carbon capture, now is the time to learn about it. Then once you understand the dangers please tell your Senator and your Congressperson that you want to stop wasting time and money on this bogus plan by the fossil fuel industry to stay in business forever.