• @itchy_lizard
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    211 months ago

    You take renewable energy and make a high density gas. Typically you make hydrogen (easy) then methane. Methane, unlike hydrogen, is highly dense and can be sent with existing gas pipelines.

    It’s a way to store and trsnsport enormous excess energy usage thats far better than electrical butteries.

    It’s already in use, but further research would only make it more efficient.

    • @Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      111 months ago

      That’s awesome, I don’t think I have heard of that. I’m going to look into that for sure, thanks for the quick explanation.

      That reminds me of that idea of a solar panel farm that uses its excess energy to lift a boulder during the day and then during the night the boulder falls and turns alternators that create electricity from the weight of the boulder slowly falling back down overnight

      • @itchy_lizard
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        111 months ago

        Yes but I think methane is far more practical

        Google “synthetic methane”

        • @Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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          111 months ago

          Ah, I have. Yes, I see what you mean. That is a useful technology.

          Is that specific field still very prototypical? I can’t find any real-world applications yet.

          Can it scale or has it only been experimented within laboratory settings so far?

          Oh wait, Japan of course, what’s going through with trials. Cool

          • @itchy_lizard
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            111 months ago

            There’s a huge plant in California and France. theres a lot.

    • @eleitl@lemmy.ml
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      111 months ago

      All natgas infra can deal with hydrogen blends and some with pure hydrogen. All new infrastructure should be made hydrogen-proof.

      Another great option is synfuels like methanol which are also an universal chemistry feedstock.

      • @itchy_lizard
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        311 months ago

        Hydrogen is the least dense fuel possible. And it fucks up tanks (with pitting) so it has to be replaced often.