Methane, methanol or hydrogen for power plantsThe EU only wants gas-fired power plants that are suitable for hydrogen from 2035 - a very questionable decision because this is a completely open question for power plantsThe EU only wants gas-fired power plants that are suitable for hydrogen from 2035 - a very questionable decision.
In the case of cars, people talked about technological openness where there was absolutely nothing left to decide. Let's take the 4.35 liter average diesel consumption of my Dacia Lodgy. Far below the average for this vehicle. Optimistically, one liter of diesel could be produced with 19 kWh of electricity. But then 83 kWh/100 km is anything but economical, and would suit a 10 m motorhome. The much-hyped hydrogen. Let's assume 1 kg/100 km for an economical driving style. But before the hydrogen is in the high-pressure tank, it has to be electrolyzed, transported to the filling station in a liquid state and compressed into the high-pressure tank of a car. That should be 65 kWh/100 km. It was therefore already clear to me in 2005 that hydrogen had no chance in road vehicles. At that time, 1 kWh lithium batteries still cost €1,500. Since then, the price has fallen by over 90% and the energy density has doubled.
Methane, methanol or hydrogen, on the other hand, is a completely open question for power plants. Methane has 15.4 kWh/kg calorific value and 11.1 kWh per m³ calorific value at 0° C and normal pressure. Hydrogen has 39.4 kWh/kg calorific value and 3.54 kWh/m³ calorific value. This shows the first major problem: 3.14 times more volume for the same calorific value. Storage and transportation are therefore 3.14 times more expensive. More underground storage tanks, much thicker pipes. Due to the much thicker pipes and the higher combustion temperature, power plants have to be built differently for operation with hydrogen.
39.4 kg of hydrogen is required for 1 MWh of calorific value. This can be obtained by electrolysis from 228 kg of water. Under normal pressure 282 m³ for storage. 64.9 kg of methane is required for 1 MWh of calorific value. Of this, 16.2 kg is hydrogen and 48.7 kg is carbon. Turn on the water pipe for one minute and you have enough water to produce 1 kg of hydrogen. With carbon, on the other hand, this is considerably more complex. For 1 kg of carbon, you need 3.67 kg of CO2. To obtain these 3.67 kg of CO2, you have to pull around 5,500 m³ of air through a filter. Of course, turning on the water pipe for a minute is much easier than drawing 5,500 m³ of air through a filter and then extracting the CO2 from the filter. If the electrolysis process H2O to hydrogen and CO2 to carbon has the same efficiency, then this additional expense remains in the procurement of the raw materials. Here, 3.14 times the volume of hydrogen compared to methane and the problem of the higher combustion temperature are offset by the additional cost of procuring CO2 for power to methane. However, this process, known as DAC - Direct Air Capture - must be optimized. Even if electric container ships and airplanes up to 1200 km with batteries are conceivable, power-to-fuel will be necessary for long-haul flights. This is a basic requirement, especially for the planetary clean-up back to 350 ppm CO2. Every optimization of this process saves an incredible amount of electricity. If 1 kg of CO2 were filtered out of the atmosphere and split into carbon and oxygen instead of 6 kWh, only 5.9 kWh would be needed, which is 782 TWh less electricity per ppm in the atmosphere. Methanol is methane with one atom of oxygen. 6.3 kWh/kg calorific value, 5,000 kWh per m³ calorific value. I wrote my first article on the question Methane, methanol or hydrogen back in 2007. Back then, it was about the question of fuel for plug-in hybrid cars. This was an important question at the time because lithium batteries were still beyond €1,000/kWh. I have spoken to research institutes about methanol several times in recent years. They see advantages in a methanol economy because methanol is liquid at room temperature and is therefore much easier to store and transport. For example, my brochure for the Augsburg Off-Grid Fair also featured a settlement where a Tesla semitrailer truck comes by every few days and collects the methanol produced with a tanker.
If you have enough batteries, you can run power plants with the best efficiency for months in the winter months. This was the result of my study "Would Germany be possible with 100% solar power". Optimization for rapid load changes is completely superfluous. If, on the other hand, one imagines using batteries only minimally, then a design for rapid load changes is necessary.
Last week it was all about the deliberately planned power outages on cold, windless nights. I couldn't find any indication that there were perhaps hidden plans for 120 GW of gas-fired power plants in Germany for 2045, rather than 34.6 GW. Only a few had recognized the seriousness of the situation and spread my last newsletter.
80% of the 1 million hectare "Land for Energy" program has been implemented. This includes 800 GW of photovoltaics and 2400 GWh of batteries alone. A further 300 GW of photovoltaics and 900 GWh of batteries outside the "Land for Energy" areas. Wind power is only being expanded slightly. 150 GW power to methane plants make it possible to utilize summer surplus electricity. 80 GW CCGT power plants. There is only a cold dark doldrums at night. When it is very cold, it is sunny during the day. GEMINI next generation houses have very low self-consumption in cold weather thanks to the low-temperature heat storage system. 80 GW CCGT power plants and 1100 GW photovoltaics make it possible to charge the batteries during the day. A secure power supply even in extreme weather conditions. Why are the scenarios so different? The difference is whether you love or hate people.
What prospects for the future can children of today be given? The majority of society only mentions extremely negative images of the future. Even when it comes to housing, a central need for everyone. The search query "housing in Germany" only brings up disaster reports in the search results. The problems can no longer be solved using conventional methods. Completely new approaches are needed. If you support these completely new ways of thinking by buying shares, then in a few years' time you will not only be able to say "I contributed to this", but you will probably also be able to look back on a considerable increase in the value of these shares.
A club member donates their membership fee to the club and is happy if the club is successful. If not, I have supported a good cause. A shareholder acquires shares in a public limited company. If the AG is successful, his shares are worth much more. In the case of GEMINI next Generation AG, his reward for supporting a good cause. As a shareholder, employee or home buyer, you also become part of the counter-movement against many negative, anti-survival developments in our society. One new shareholder said "I with my very modest investment", but €4,000 times €1,000 is also €4 million for all investments up to the opening of the settlement in Unken as a starting point for global expansion. Only the Annual General Meeting can decide on major capital increases, but here is what the Management Board and Supervisory Board can decide. The new share capital serves to perfect the documents for the larger planned capital increases. There is a reward program for recommending the share to others. Two of the new shareholders have become shareholders through this reward program. Here are the details. Attention! A major promotion is planned for mid-February, during which the shares will be offered at a significantly higher price. Buy in good time before the price correction! |
