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Originally Posted by Mathgod
@DoubleF I largely agree with what you're saying.
But, just as a hypothetical example, could geothermal plants produce power that then gets directly fed into producing hydrogen, thus removing the need for electricity transmission lines? (Edit: It's being tried in New Zealand)
Or, say, solar and wind power gets stored via other storage types (such as compressed gas or gravitational storage methods), which then gets fed back into the grid when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing.
My original point stands, that while there are complex hurdles and challenges standing between where we are now and where we need to get, we're much farther behind the technological advancement curve than we should be, thanks to the spreading of lies, confusion, and undue complacency.
This wouldn't result in the kind of emissions reductions that are needed to avoid catastrophic outcomes. Fossil fuel dependency needs to end relatively quickly.
Like it or not, we're a global community, and as a species we're all in this together. The "I'm just a Canadian living in Canada" line really doesn't hold much water.
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That was literally my hypothetical. The issue is that Hydrogen cells are not complete in their R&D. It doesn't exist in the state that they can be mass produced and used by the average consumer yet. Even if they're close, they need to find a way to drop the price on them to make them economical.... but then you have an issue with the cost of hydrogen.
My partial hypothetical argument is that by vilifying O&G rather than have O&G partner with other techs like hydrogen for the production of grey hydrogen, we are behind worldwide. Had the mandate been to spearhead parallel technologies to reduce carbon emissions rather than vilify and destroy existing infrastructure in a replacement of non-renewables with renewables, I think we are further ahead today. I am remarking that I think you claiming that investing earlier would have helped isnt' necessarily true. We just hit this state earlier.
Non-renewables and renewables should have been asked to walk forward together from the get go rather than non-renewables asked to step aside to let an incomplete renewables strategy take over (ie: Hybrids).
IMO, it was this flaw in approach that is contributing a significant amount in terms of inflation and gas prices rising. Some O&G production was shut down and renewables demanded to take over and "figure it out/growing pains" and this is the result. Inflation and rising gas prices.
Had the plan been to parallel, in a case like this, perhaps we could take a step back to temporarily do things to reduce the gas prices rising and inflation, but it was struck off as a potential plan B or C. So here we are marching forward through this muck, towards this better electric future we are being promised.
Now, that being said, I think there's a major opportunity for Western Canada if the powers that be can get their heads out of their asses. BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan combined can become a worldwide energy superpower if it doesn't focus on energy as a primary and instead focuses on it as a secondary. If it focuses on information and research it could go farther with less red tape. This being my opinion and highly optimistic, so consider it an unrealistic dream scenario.
Build nuclear in Northern AB/BC/SK communities away from natural hazards and natural wind patterns that could blow stuff down to large populations. Produce energy for those northern communities for "free" via nuclear. Use nuclear primarily to address these two major global shortages: 1. Isotopes for research and medical technology (ie: X-rays) and 2. Helium for medical and other purposes.
Use the isotopes and helium and other required products to spear head more research and medical improvements in Canada, sell the excess to fund it.
For solar/wind/geothermal/hydro etc. Do lots of small batch projects that we retain the ownership of to research on efficiency improvements and sell the data to companies hoping to figure out the best approach for a more refined product worldwide. The data is primary source of income, the energy is a byproduct that we can benefit from.
But eh, I'm certain this ideal is problematic as well from a variety of other factors. I've just tried to eliminate the aspect where many feel the technology is ready when in reality, it really isn't yet. We can spearhead many other ideas with readily available demand and technologies rather than continue down the path of creating new technology to create demand for IMO. That might help with the inflation and rising prices of things we deemed as necessities.