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Victoria warned against ‘very inefficient’ hydrogen buses after trial announced
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2023
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@Hypx @Baku @AllNewTypeFace @zurohki
AllNewTypeFace wrote: "I’ve seen it claimed that hydrogen is the renewable energy option backed by fossil-fuel interests precisely because it’s impractical."
To which you replied: "The only people saying this are battery investors. They merely want to replace our dependency on fossil fuels with a dependency on their batteries."
But the fossil fuel industry's support for hydrogen and biomethane isn't just some myth cooked up by battery producers.
And you don't need to take my word on that. Here's ExxonMobil on hydrogen:
"Hydrogen produces zero greenhouse gas emissions at its point of use. It's also versatile - suitable for power generation, trucking, and heat-intensive industries like steel and chemicals. We are scaling up production of low-carbon hydrogen to reduce CO2 emissions in our own facilities, and helping others do the same... Natural gas is comprised largely of methane (CH4) and can be turned into hydrogen through a reforming process."
Source: https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/what-we-do/delivering-industrial-solutions/hydrogen
Here's what Australian Gas Networks has to say:
"Australian Gas Networks and the Australian gas sector has a clear vision for a low carbon future using renewable gases such as hydrogen and biomethane. We know we need to deliver on this vision to help Australia meet national and statebased emissions reductions targets, whilst also maintaining the reliability of supply at lowest cost to our customers.
"Hydrogen Park South Australia and Hydrogen Park Gladstone will demonstrate how we can use the existing gas network to deliver blended gas to customers - the Australian Hydrogen Centre (AHC) is the next step in our journey, delivering feasibility studies on blending 10% renewable hydrogen into towns and cities, and plans for a 100% renewable gas future."
Source: https://www.australiangasnetworks.com.au/australian-hydrogen-centre
Here's Gas Energy Australia, a lobby group that represents LNG gas producers:
"We strongly support the inclusion of hydrogen and biomethane in the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). Further expanding the way displacement is credited under the ERF to include the full array of emerging renewable gases to replace fossil fuels, would enable the Australian gas industry to make a profound contribution to reducing emissions."
Source: https://www.gasenergyaus.au/about/aims.html
I can give you more examples, including from submissions to government inquires, but this post is getting too long as it is.
No-one is disputing that green hydrogen has an important role to play in decarbonisation.
But.
When oil & gas firms, and their lobbyists, start touting hydrogen, then people will and should ask questions. And no, that's not just battery manufacturers.
There is almost zero interest from the fossil fuel industry for hydrogen. It is pursued as enthusiastically as they pursue wind and solar. There is no reason they will strongly pursue anything that could replace fossil fuels. And if they did, then all the better, since it is in fact, green energy.
What you're doing is just gish gallop. It has no bearing to reality. You are arguing a conspiracy theory where if the fossil fuel industry pursues a green energy technology, it automatically means it is a scam. A claim with so many illogical leaps of faiths that it is incoherent. Even wind and solar would be scams in that worldview, since fossil fuel companies spend something on those technologies.
@Hypx @Baku @AllNewTypeFace @zurohki
"There is almost zero interest from the fossil fuel industry for hydrogen."
The oil and gas industry routinely cites the potential of hydrogen and biomethane as substitutes for oil and methane gas, including in submissions to government inquires.
Take a look at any of the submissions to Victoria's inquiry from an oil or gas industry group.
Almost every single one, including the submission from Exxon-Mobil, cites hydrogen and biomethane as their preferred long-term options: https://engage.vic.gov.au/help-us-build-victorias-gas-substitution-roadmap
And going back to the original post, the grey hydrogen to be used in Victoria's bus trial is not exactly an emissions-free fuel source.
"It is pursued as enthusiastically as they pursue wind and solar. There is no reason they will strongly pursue anything that could replace fossil fuels."
Because the oil and gas industry knows the prospect of hydrogen is effective at delaying the replacement of gas appliances with electric ones.
"And if they did, then all the better, since it is in fact, green energy."
Hydrogen that's produced with methane gas or coal — what Exxon-Mobil is producing — is not green energy.
"What you're doing is just gish gallop. It has no bearing to reality. You are arguing a conspiracy theory where if the fossil fuel industry pursues a green energy technology, it automatically means it is a scam. [Snip]"
Again, green hydrogen (produced using renewable power) has its place, especially in industrial processes, in agriculture, in aviation, etc.
But it has its limits. And there are use cases where renewables with local battery, grid scale battery, or other energy storage solutions (eg grid-scale pumped hydro) are a better option.
Especially if the hydrogen in question is grey or brown hydrogen, as per the Victorian bus trial.
Elsewhere in this thread, you claimed any criticism of hydrogen came from the battery industry or the fossil fuel industry. You have presented nothing to back up that assertion.
To the contrary, the Australian oil and gas industry regularly cites hydrogen as a reason to delay or avoid the transition from gas to electric renewable alternatives.
As yet another example, here's Energy Networks Australia's Gas Vision 2050 policy statement. Hydrogen is right there on the front page:
"Since Energy Networks Australia and our industry partners launched Gas Vision 2050 two years ago, the industry has invested in research and development, policy analysis and pilot projects to demonstrate these new technologies, with a focus on the role of hydrogen."
https://www.energynetworks.com.au/projects/gas-vision-2050/
I've cited multiple examples of where the oil and gas industry has cited hydrogen as a reason to delay or avoid a switch away from gas.
Do you have any concrete examples to back up your assertion that: "The only people saying this are battery investors. They merely want to replace our dependency on fossil fuels with a dependency on their batteries. That is the real scam"?
This is just Gish gallop. Please shut up. If you use your style of rhetoric, wind, solar and even battery manufacturing are just a scam by the oil companies. This is pure gibberish. Volume of bullshit doesn’t make for a coherent argument.
@Hypx @Baku @AllNewTypeFace @zurohki I'm seeing some big claims from you that "nearly all rhetoric against hydrogen is just some kind of corporate propaganda, if not from the battery industry then it is from the petroleum industry."
I'm seeing strawman arguments and deflections from you.
But nothing to back up your claims.
Do you have anything you can link to back up your assertion?
A link to an article?
Anything?
I've provided you with multiple examples of where the Australian gas industry has cited hydrogen as a reason to delay or avoid a switch away from gas.
You don't have to take my word for it. I've provided links.
Do you have anything you can link to back up your assertion?
A link to a news article?
Some research?
An academic paper?
Anything at all?
That's clearly not what I, or anyone else in this thread, is arguing.
Once again, here's my position on hydrogen:
"Green hydrogen (produced using renewable power) has its place, especially in industrial processes, in agriculture, in aviation, etc.
"But it has its limits. And there are use cases where renewables with local battery, grid scale battery, or other energy storage solutions (eg grid-scale pumped hydro) are a better option.
"Especially if the hydrogen in question is grey or brown hydrogen, as per the Victorian bus trial."
It seems to me you're constructing strawman arguments and deflections, because you don't have a strong counter-argument.
Which brings us back to the point you're deflecting from...
If you have some evidence of that, I'd love to see it.
A link to a news article?
Some research?
An academic paper?
Anything at all?
It literally takes one company to serious invest in green hydrogen as an environmentally friendly solution to debunk your entire conspiracy theory. Which obvious has been proven long ago.
Again, you're using Gish gallop. It's utter bullshit. It's not even worth anyone's time to try an debunk. The better move is to flag you as a corporate stooge and a dishonest liar and ignore you from the rest of the conversation.
@Hypx @Baku @AllNewTypeFace @zurohki "The only people saying this are battery investors. They merely want to replace our dependency on fossil fuels with a dependency on their batteries. That is the real scam."
Citation needed.
"There is almost zero interest from the fossil fuel industry for hydrogen."
Citation needed.
And again.
Do you have anything to back up your core claims?
Link please.
The very article is about powering a bus with hydrogen. It is both mass transit and green.
The problem is that you are so deep in your brainwashing that it is impossible to hold a conversation with you. You are pretty much a climate change denier. If you haven't realized that yet, then you're too stupid to realize that you're one of them.
@Hypx @Baku @AllNewTypeFace @zurohki Still no link to back up your claim that: "The only people saying this are battery investors. They merely want to replace our dependency on fossil fuels with a dependency on their batteries. That is the real scam."
Still no link to back up your claim that: "There is almost zero interest from the fossil fuel industry for hydrogen."
More ad hominem attacks, no moreflections, still no links to any source to back up those two claims.
You do have some source to back up those two claims, right?
Again, electric buses already exist. They're called trolleybuses. It's pretty obvious that battery powered buses are madness and are a way of reinventing the wheel. And raging against hydrogen powered buses is just part of the BEV propaganda mill. As if e-buses cannot exist without giant batteries.
Again, you're the one spreading a conspiracy theory. You need to prove your case, not me. Which is pretty much impossible because it is so obviously bullshit.
@Hypx @Baku @AllNewTypeFace @zurohki And still no link to back up your claim that: "There is almost zero interest from the fossil fuel industry for hydrogen."
Still no link to back up your claim that: "The only people saying this are battery investors. They merely want to replace our dependency on fossil fuels with a dependency on their batteries. That is the real scam."
I've cited multiple direct examples of why you claim that "there is almost zero interest from the fossil fuel industry for hydrogen" is false here: https://aus.social/@ajsadauskas/111475696158764155
And here: https://aus.social/@ajsadauskas/111476477510088172
All you have to do to move the conversation along is to provide a link to back up these two claims of yours.
I'm seeing lots of obfuscation, and no sources.
It should be simple to do.
So where's your link?
Again, this is Gish gallop. You cannot bullshit your way out of this. Again, you're being the brainwashed climate change denier who thinks expanding mass transit is somehow a conspiracy of the oil companies. No one has time nor patience to tell you down.
Ultimately, you're just a piece of brainwashed scum. Seriously, fuck you.
@Hypx @Baku @AllNewTypeFace @zurohki And yet again.
Here are your claims:
"There is almost zero interest from the fossil fuel industry for hydrogen."
"The only people saying this are battery investors. They merely want to replace our dependency on fossil fuels with a dependency on their batteries. That is the real scam."
Seriously, even a link to where "battery investors" are saying this will do.
Do you have a link to an article that supports these two claims?
Anything at all?
Why am I being pinged in this 3 days later
Your argument is that buses powered by green energy is a conspiracy by the oil companies. That's ludicrous.
No one is going to debate such an insane nutcase. Again, fuck you and fuck off. You're just a climate change denier.