The Swiss Army Knife of the Energy Transition

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

I liken the transition away from fossil fuels to the tragedy of the energy investing commons. People are talking about hydrogen as being the Swiss army knife of the energy transition. It's not something that people reach for by choice, it's something they reach for at a desperation or a lack of imagination. And you know, there in lies the problem. When you reach for something because you're desperate, you're not necessarily making the most informed choices.

On this episode, chemical engineer Paul Martin joins The Great Simplification to talk about all things hydrogen. There are many ‘Fuels of the Future’ about which the media likes to create hopeful and seamless narratives, one of the currently popular of these being hydrogen. Where does hydrogen come from and what do we already depend on hydrogen for - is it as ‘clean’ as the media leads us to believe? How can we think about hydrogen from a systems perspective to determine if it is really an energy solution - or an energy problem? What does this mean for the design of global supply chains entering into a simplified material future?

About Paul Martin:

Paul Martin is a Canadian chemical engineer with decades of experience making and using hydrogen and syngas. As a chemical process development specialist, Paul offers services to an international clientele via his private consultancy Spitfire Research. He is also co-founder of the Hydrogen Science Coalition, a nonprofit organization providing science-based information about hydrogen from a position free from commercial interest.

For Show Notes and More visit: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/63-paul-martin

To watch this video episode on Youtube → https://youtu.be/YVjEK_PjvD0