Comment 33368

By JonC (registered) | Posted September 11, 2009 at 07:36:26

That's not true. Our current methods of extracting hydrogen are in their infancy, and our current production does require a net loss, but hydrogen is naturally created through a variety of sources and there are actual processes being worked on that would derive hydrogen using direct light (catalyst inside the cell) http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_r... and another method using bacteria http://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/20...

So the EROEI is not necessarily negative, there just isn't an economic incentive to become better at it yet, but as you're aware, that incentive is rapidly approaching. We're not good at it yet, and I can't see it ever being some replacement for oil, but that's not a sufficient reason to abandon research. The problems with storage are also being addressed http://www.physorg.com/news168691007.htm... http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news...

Hydrogen isn't a great saving grace, but will be in the mix for our future.

There was also the idea of using ammonia from our waste urine to create hydrogen, which apparently is much more efficient http://www.physorg.com/news171133587.htm... Even, if that process did require a net energy loss, it solves a much bigger problem for large cities and the by-product would be a usable energy source.

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