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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 27th, 2023

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  • Is the infrastructure relevant though? As I understand it, the battery is charged by splitting water (H2O) into Oxygen and Hydrogen atoms (instead of H2 molecules, hence the name proton battery) and instead of compressing and cooling it, having a solid structure in which to store the protons. When drawing energy from the battery the opposite process takes place. So basically it is both an electrolyser when charging and a classic fuel cell when discharging with the storage of hydrogen (protons) being integrated in the same battery through a porous solid (mainly carbon). To quote from the article: >It looks like more of a battery competitor than a fuel cell competitor, though.

    Next to the advantages they cite (energy and power density, abundant and environmentally unproblematic materials, recyclability, not explosive) I do wonder about the density in terms of volume. If they are bigger in size, they could constitute a better solution for big energy storages within the grid or at home, where now many are using lithium ion batteries.


  • Well even if we take those nonsense extrapolations seriously and had the material capacities to build that infrastructure globally (remember it isn’t a local problem), what is also lacking in many countries are skilled workers who actually put that stuff together. I can’t seem to find enough political action to fulfill that part. And it’s not only the production side, but the transport of the energy (grids and storage) and then also the consumer side. Those heat-pumps aren’t gonna install themselves, you know.