{"id":4282,"date":"2020-06-15T20:10:03","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T00:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.respectmyplanet.org\/publications\/?p=4282"},"modified":"2020-06-16T09:24:51","modified_gmt":"2020-06-16T13:24:51","slug":"100-renewable-energy-hydrogen-refueling-vs-superchargers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.respectmyplanet.org\/publications\/fuel-cells\/100-renewable-energy-hydrogen-refueling-vs-superchargers","title":{"rendered":"100% Renewable Energy: Hydrogen Refueling -vs- Superchargers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hydrogen pairs well economically with 100% renewable energy like wind, solar, and biogas for fast recharging of zero emission vehicles like cars, trucks, busses, trains, & boats.\u00a0 <\/span>Wind & solar can have large footprints that make them hard to site near areas where there are large populations of people or where large scale refueling\/recharging must take place.\u00a0 <\/span>RMP has written many times about how solar arrays & wind farms can often produce terawatts<\/a> of energy each year that go wasted because the electricity produced couldn\u2019t be used when it was made.\u00a0 <\/span>Wasted energy stranded like this is called curtailed energy<\/a>. Modern grids have to balance electricity production to usage and must choose to dump electricity if it can\u2019t be used.\u00a0 <\/span>More and more projects around the world are demonstrating power to gas is an economical way to store that otherwise wasted energy as hydrogen so we can get it back whenever we need it.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the knocks against hydrogen refueling anti-hydrogen folks continue to use against hydrogen is to say there are only 95 hydrogen refueling stations across America compared to thousands of locations where a BEV can be fast charged.\u00a0 <\/span>Given we are early in the transition to electrified propulsion, it’s important to think about the overarching goal of zero emission vehicles: to use clean renewable energy to power our transportation sector & reduce harmful emissions.\u00a0 <\/span>Even though there are more fast charging stations than the 95 hydrogen fueling stations right now in the USA, there are already 13 hydrogen stations that use 100% renewable energy.\u00a0 <\/span>Contrast that to the 908 Tesla Supercharger locations<\/a> across the USA open today and note that not a single one of those 908 Supercharger locations is 100% off-grid solar, wind, or biogas.\u00a0 <\/span>Not one.\u00a0 <\/span>0%.\u00a0 <\/span>As we kick off this article, let\u2019s put this important statistic up on the scoreboard when it comes to the number of 100% renewable refueling\/recharging locations in the USA: \u00a0 <\/span>Hydrogen 13 – Tesla Superchargers 0.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

This important point of delivering 100% clean energy for our transportation sector is becoming increasingly more relevant as time goes by.\u00a0 <\/span>Advocates of zero emission vehicles have a stated goal to move away from fossil fuels and reduce emissions to zero across the board. Without a single demonstration of fast charging paired with 100% renewable solar or wind to see how it works, we are left for years now to guess how it will ever get done.\u00a0 <\/span>If all fast charging stations eventually need to get to 100% clean energy shouldn\u2019t anti hydrogen folks show us the cost & footprint & specs of one station so we can see how it works?<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Shell Sacramento hydrogen refueling station is one of 13 stations in the USA that uses 100% renewable hydrogen.\u00a0 Every hydrogen refueling station in California is required to use at least 33% renewable hydrogen but several across the state, including 3 stations in San Francisco are 100% renewable.\u00a0 While Tesla might put a solar array on top of a Supercharger to show some electricity comes from renewable energy, don’t be fooled.\u00a0 Not a single Tesla Supercharger is 100% renewable.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Modernize<\/span><\/a>, less than a handful of states have produced better than 20% of their energy from renewable energy sources. \u00a0 <\/span>Many states, like New Mexico, Kansas, Utah, Indiana, Ohio, and more get over 90% of their energy from dirty fossil fuel sources like coal, oil, & natural gas.\u00a0 <\/span>Manufacturing & charging electric vehicles off a dirty grid isn\u2019t making a dent in CO2 emission reductions. \u00a0 <\/span>When can we fast charge BEVs with clean off-grid renewable energy?\u00a0 <\/span>Does the possibility even exist?\u00a0 <\/span>Or is it still a fantasy?<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, hydrogen & batteries get looked at as some sort of death match of competitive technologies that leave us with an either\/or decision of what technology to use, but it really shouldn\u2019t be that way.\u00a0 <\/span>RMP has written for years about how it\u2019s a red herring argument to say we have to choose only one technology.\u00a0 <\/span>Hydrogen & batteries work very well together; we really need both technologies to phase out crude oil, coal, and natural gas.\u00a0 <\/span>Even though hydrogen & batteries should be thought of technologies that cooperate, it\u2019s human nature for people to have some fun with friendly competition.\u00a0 <\/span>In the spirit of friendly competition, let\u2019s look at why hydrogen refueling has a big advantage over battery charging alone when it comes to renewable energy for fast recharging. If our goal is 100% renewable energy it\u2019s important to keep this score in mind:\u00a0 <\/span>Hydrogen 13 – Tesla Superchargers 0<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

While there is a lot of promise for BEV vehicles for good reason, there is also an elephant in the room:\u00a0 <\/span>fast charging throughput is about 20:1 slower than refueling with gasoline.\u00a0 <\/span>Because hydrogen refueling is on par with gasoline, it means hydrogen fueling is also about 20:1 faster than the fastest Tesla Supercharging.\u00a0 <\/span>According to a quick Google search, it takes about 75 minutes to charge a Tesla to 100% state of charge with a 150 kW Supercharger.\u00a0 <\/span>It takes between 3 to 4 minutes to fill up a gasoline or hydrogen car.\u00a0 <\/span>75 divided by 3 = 25:1 and 75 divided by 4 = 18.75:1.\u00a0 <\/span>Hydrogen\u2019s throughput capability is a big deal when scaling to millions of vehicles because it stands to reason capital allocation of renewable energy tax subsidy dollars would also be leveraged 20:1 if spent on hydrogen infrastructure.\u00a0 If the goal is to refuel as many vehicles in the shortest amount of time possible on busy travel routes, hydrogen is the clear winner.\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019ve all seen the videos & read the stories about Teslas backing up at Superchargers during Thanksgiving<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 So called fast charging is already showing failure with less than 1% of vehicles on the road using it; this is very bad for scaling up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if we do decide to spend our tax subsidy dollars on battery recharging infrastructure at a 20:1 disadvantage vs hydrogen, we still don\u2019t get fast charging from renewable energy because it doesn\u2019t exist.\u00a0 <\/span>We don\u2019t even know the cost of off-grid 100% renewable fast charging.\u00a0 <\/span>All we can say with utter certainty is that hydrogen refueling is way faster than battery charging.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Thanksgiving 2019 Supercharger backup at Kettleman City Supercharger with 40 stalls.\u00a0 <\/span>At times the backup was 50 cars long or a quarter mile long.\u00a0 <\/span>Teslas only make up a tiny fraction of cars (less than 1%) on the road and we are already seeing major fails in how they scale to handle heavy travel.\u00a0 <\/span>What if BEVs made up 5% or even 10% of vehicles?\u00a0 <\/span>Think about it<\/span>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For three years (since 6\/9\/2017) we\u2019ve been waiting for the very first example of off-grid 100% renewable Supercharging.\u00a0 <\/span>Its starting to appear, however, that battery fast-charging just isn\u2019t compatible with 100% renewable off-grid energy.\u00a0 <\/span>The best way to charge a battery with 100% renewable off-grid energy will probably be to use a fuel cell system.\u00a0 <\/span>The two technologies are truly meant for each other and bound to each other\u2019s service.\u00a0 <\/span>Fuel cells & their battery cousins shouldn\u2019t even be thought of in competition, but rather technologies that compliment each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

June 9, 2020 marks the three year anniversary of Elon Musk tweeting that \u201cAll Superchargers are being converted to solar\/battery power.\u00a0 <\/span>Over time, almost all will disconnect from the electricity grid\u201d. \u00a0 <\/span>Elon Musk likes to use ambiguous words like \u201call\u201d and \u201csoon\u201d so often that a pattern has emerged.\u00a0 <\/span>A growing chorus of people has started showing & tweeting examples of how Elon Musk is not much different than the Wizard of Oz: just a man shining people on with false promises from behind the curtain.\u00a0 <\/span>We get promises & rhetoric of all these great things coming in order to win tax subsidies & venture capital funding from Wall Street billionaires, but the promises never materialize for working class people on main street.\u00a0 <\/span>The mansions and private jet are real, but off-grid renewable Superchargers\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>well, not so much\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

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All Superchargers are being converted to solar\/battery power. Over time, almost all will disconnect from the electricity grid.<\/p>\n

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n