Lots of Things Simply Will Not Happen In Renewable Energy

We’ve all heard that “there is a first time for everything.”  What this means, of course, is that there is a first time for everything that actually happens.  Lots of things don’t happen.

Some don’t happen because they’re theoretically impossible, e.g., perpetual motion.  Others are perfectly possible, but they don’t happen because they’re asinine.

Here’s a good example of the latter, a ship that is powered by hydrogen fuel cells whose fuel is derived from on-board solar PV.  If you have solar energy generated on-board a ship (which is perfectly possible–see pic) and wish to convert it to kinetic energy, you’re not going to first electrolyze water (and lose 30+% right there); you’re going to drive an electric motor with 90+% efficiency.

If you’re trying to get from New York to Los Angeles, you don’t go through Cape Town for no reason.