Quote from: RE on Jan 02, 2024, 11:45 PMThere are multiple problems with commercializing the process.  First off, conversion of electricty to chemical energy stored in molecular hydrogen is an energy intensive process, so there is significant loss.

The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics isn't a "problem", it is just one of those laws of the universe type things. And people don't give a rats behind at the energy loss turning a plentiful liquid fuel like crude oil first into gasoline (loss and loss) and then BURNING it (more loss and more loss), so while engineers and pedants might care about these kinds of losses, Joe Sixpack does not.

Joe Sixpack cares about cost. Doesn't give a crap about 2nd Law nonsense from the eggheads, he cares about whether he can afford to pour diesel into his truck to still have some cash left over for bar hopping Saturday night while ICEing some dweeb in their Prius along the way. The losses could become even more horrifying (BIGGER MONSTER TRUCK FOR JOE!) and if the fuel cost doesn't slow him down (slacken demand)....nobody else cares either! Enjoy the bigger monster truck Joe! Economics in motion.

Quote from: REAs new alternative solutions to fossil fuels are concerned, the Flow Batteries we discussed last week are superior to hydrogen as energy storage tech, IMHO.
RE

Excellent! And where might I buy enough to...say...power my home? I mean, if they are indeed superior and not just in a efficiency only contest, then part of that superiority must translate to lower costs than the alternative, and they must be whupping it up all over the alternatives.

Do you have a website where these can be purchased on a cost-competitive basis? Or are flow batterys in the land of "always better [fill in the reason why] but can't be found because efficiency isn't the only part of commercial/economic sales volumes"?

Theory is great. Commercial viability will tend to kick its backside every day of the week and twice on Sunday unless you are building solar probes that can afford ridiculous efficiencies to make their systems run in outer space for the next couple decades. No one needs that level of "better" to power their EV.