Archive:000/Decarbonize the energy supply: Difference between revisions

===The {{(}}renewables + energy storage{{)}} approach===

* Batteries [[?|might be enough]] to smooth out the '''day/night''' cycle of solar. But the '''seasonal''' fluctuations of wind & solar [[?|probably need ''far more'' energy storage capacity]]. See discussion on [[?|whether any other energy storage types could be enough]].

* Most solar panels today would probably be '''unsustainable''' or even impossible to scale up, due to having [[?|too many scarce minerals in them]]. See discussion on [[?|alternatives]].

More discussions

{{talk|TODO: People also have other concerns about renewables and energy storage. I need to direct readers to pages that address those concerns.}}

Considering the different types of nuclear power, it seems that [[?|'''thorium''' power]] is the one with the least problems:

|[[Fusion]] (not viable yet)

====Battery electric vehicles====

* Most EVs today use [[?|NMC-type lithium-ion batteries]] - but [[?|scaling these up is unsustainable]] due to the amount of '''cobalt''' in them.

* [[?|LFP batteries]] are cobalt-free, but hold somewhat less of a charge (i.e. the vehicle gets less range). LFP batteries are still lithium-based, and lithium scarcity [[?|would be somewhat a problem]] but not as bad as cobalt.

* [[?|Sodium-ion batteries]] are made from abundant materials - they don't have any mineral-scarcity problem ([[?|probably]]). But they hold even less of a charge than LFP. [[?|Sodium-ion EVs]] are still usable, but their range isn't great.{{qn}} [[Cheap short-range EVs/Market research|Might still be good enough]] for a lot of people, [[Sodium-ion batteries/Cost|if the EV is cheap enough]].

* For '''buses''', LFP and sodium-ion are both perfectly fine. The lower energy-density is not a problem, because buses need extra weight at the bottom anyway for stability. <!-- explain better? -->

* Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles would be unsustainable to scale up, because of the [[?|amount of platinum & palladium in the fuel cells]]. {{talk|This page needs to mention: Hydrogen ''production'' also requires these same metals but it [[?|can be done with much less of them]] and thus could probably be done sustainably.}}  

* Hydrogen combustion vehicles don't have this problem, but their fuel economy (efficiency) is lower.{{qn}} {{talk|How bad would this be an issue if renewables or nuclear were to be the main energy sources?}} {{talk|Discussion needed: How much hydrogen would have to be stored at any given time, in such a scenario (let's say if it's all produced through nuclear power)? Probably a lot less than the "renewables + energy storage" approach. I need to write a page explaining why.}}

This wiki needs more research on this:

How does ammonia compare to hydrogen in terms of:

* Production energy-efficiency

* Fuel cell energy-efficiency

* Catalyst metals required for ammonia production and for fuel cells

* Storage (materials required per unit of energy)