Yes "Cracking" water is easy and not very expensive, it's liquefying and storing hydrogen that's energy intensive, and remember that you can't get more energy out of the hydrogen than was
used to split the water in the first place. Further transporting hydrogen is tricky as with a super tiny molecule, it loves to leak.
It can be turned into ammonia for storage but that brings other challenges.
There are a bunch of reasons why it hasn't been done much already.
Hello Jeff, not sure of your background, well argued, I'm a physicist by the way, stranded in California. I've watched Shell buy out / destroyall the hydrogen stations here to kill of the Toyota Mirai because, guess what, its NOT H2 technology or safety thats the issue - it is the oil companies dying WHEN it succeeds. PEM electolysers and waste->H2 from Hyundai can be setup in ANY small town to provide local H2 (lets hope the USA doesnt bomb these as it did Nordstream II). LOCAL - thats the key, no transport worth worrying about. COSTS? Well, oil production, refining, transportation to your petrol station is WAY more polluting and $ costly than setting up local "H2O" split. Its a matter of will and IGNORING the oil companies driven by USA self interest. We can go H2 NOW across the EU. It will create jobs and a greener future. Who will complain? Not Norway or Scotland (soon ;) ) but the USA. We need oil but NOT for transportation long term. And till then Hybrids and in the name of all that is Holy NOT Lithium powered cars (filthy to produce)... as it's subject to hate wars and USA driven terrorism just like Oil is today. JUST FYI https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/clean-transportation-program/clean-transportation-funding-areas-1 and WHAT is hydrogen as a fuel, a great PUBLIC friendly summary. https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2021-06/CEC_Hydrogen_Fact_Sheet_June_2021_ADA.pdf
"SNP Budget to pass as Anas Sarwar confirms Scottish Labour won't oppose"
Excellent news. There's been quite a bit that Labour wanted in it, and I did hope. It means the SNP won't have to give in to the posturing madness of the Greens which is good whether you're for Swinney or against, and indeed for Indy or against. It's made my day, even if just for Scotland.
It's the odd £5 billion and how it's spent. To exaggerate the Greens would spend it on heat pumps at extortionate electricity prices, and a failing 2nd DRS and GRRB, whereas the SNP would spend it on fighting child poverty. It needs Independence and complete control of electricity and the Scottish grid for what the Greens want without ruining us and our economy, whereas making a real difference to child poverty is more a question of reallocating the scant resources devolution gives us after Westminster takes it large cut. And that's actually positive for the economy, something moron Reeves doesn't understand. Poor people spend it all.
The Greens were parasites on the SNP vote, while massaging egos, and a lot in the SNP were too thick to realise it. That needs stopped for any chance of Independence.
Much if not most of a colonial budget is used to pay off the elites, vested interests, and also large sections of the proletariat within a colonial society. The infrastructure in a colony tends to be under-invested and hence under-developed, as we see in Scotland, so that is not where public money tends to go.
There are probably now over 10,000 senior personnel in the Scottish public/semi-public sector who are paid in excess of £100k/yr (and well over half a million employed overall). This includes university principals and heads of utilities on over £400k/yr, surgeons and consultants, justices, gov dept and agency heads etc etc. In postcolonial theory such groups are described as "the watchdogs of colonialism" (Cesaire).
The NHS is the biggest employer in Scotland, and in Europe. Scotland has 19(!) higher education institutions, 32 local authorities, several hundred schools, plus numerous government departments and hundreds of state funded agencies and quango's.
Postcolonial theory tells us that paid-off elites, professional middle class and also large sections of the proletariat tend to protect the status quo, i.e. colonialism, so long as they have "a bone to gnaw on" (Fanon) in the system. Trade unions and professional associations mostly based in the metropolitan capital are all part of a 'colonial racket'.
As the aim of colonialism "is to widen inequality" (Memmi), we may say that a colonial budget is not intended to lift the people up, it is to keep them doun.
Which brings us back to our need to better understand colonialism:
When people feel insecure, they will latch onto anything that makes them feel more secure. Or something that promises security. If the "watchdogs of colonialism" weren't insecure, they might not feel the same need to cling to the Union. Unfortunately, as you surely know, our entire socio-economic system contrives to increase insecurity. It is tension produced by insecurity, inequity, and injustice that powers the system.
Yes Peter, and this insecurity must inevitably link to the matter of 'dependency' in a colonial society, and the fact that:
"colonization is based on psychology, that there are in this world groups of men who... suffer from what must be called a dependency complex, that these groups are psychologically made for dependence; that they need dependence, that they crave it, ask for it, demand it; that this is the case with most of the colonized peoples" (Cesaire).
Its a crucial aspect because the assimilated native group, as we see with Scottish elites, "take responsibility for the colonialist order" and any (native) who dares to go against it "will be guilty of sacrilege", or worse!
Greer: "Our voters seem to want us to push the government further and ensure the direction of travel that was there under Nicola Sturgeon is still the case.”
article 6th Dec 2025, NOT 6th Dec 2021. "Sturgeon". Swinney is not a Sturgeon.
Once again another madman allowed to trash as takes his fancy because the rest of us are too feart tae dae anything....but eventually like Hitler the nation had to face the monster and deal with it.At a very high price. Done sooner ..who knows.
However what has really angered me is the stomping on our 'Scottish government. '.. ( I use that description loosely) The foreign english government 'gave permission' to the gangsters that represent America at the moment to land on OUR COUNTRY without informing the Scottish government...in order to attack another country. How many countries would allow another foreign nation to take decisions that could impact on their citizen's safety as well as thumbing their nose at...guess who?....dear old daft Scotland. Our pathetic wee government complained..( gonny no dae that) ..bet the shi*tty foreign english were probably doubled in laughter.
As far as I am concerned that is enough to close the border, threaten the foreign english and toss the b*st*rds oot. I am embarrassed at our pathetic government..(who are getting a payrise this year..4.2%.).do they deserve it on this sad showing? They deserve to get their arses booted for being asleep at the wheel.
Then watching a woman murdered by American immigration police and then listening to trump lie barefacedly to the American public was very worrying.
We must become a nation again and toss the foreign english government oot before our country is destroyed. We've had a warning that we are dispensible.....
For OUR Scotland and her feartie weans.
PS to end on an upbeat note ... many of us donated to Andy Wightman our Scottish land warrior ..fighting against the foreigners grabbing our land. Not all asleep.
It's difficult to see the likes of Starmer and Macron changing tack now since they've been Trump's biggest ego massagers and appeasers. They'd probably have to be replaced for there to be any concerted European-wide stance in favour of democracy and international law.
Wake me up when we get back to Independence, including the part world leaders might play in recognising us as an independent state - or leaving us out in the cold like some others. Meanwhile from elsewhere, another hysterical amateur effort:
"[Venezuela] It’s a shocking act of colonialist aggression the likes of which has not been seen since the 19th century."
which seems to completely ignore the many many acts of colonialist aggression in the 20th century. Or even the 21st.
edit: in fairness WGD does relate it cleverly to Independence.
""[Venezuela] It’s a shocking act of colonialist aggression the likes of which has not been seen since the 19th century.""
Anglo-American oil companies and their bankers were similarly handed Scotland's North Sea oil resources in the 1970s courtesy of Westminster, with no royalties per barrel for Scots natives.
Which explains why Norway today is $2 trillion richer, has enviable infrastructure and a GDP-per-capita double ours.
Could add that the UK were considering the Osprey for the carriers for in-flight refuelling for the F-35B. Personally I prefer the buddy-buddy method - one pair on a mission and another maybe with drop tanks to refuel them. Maybe same for return flight.
My crazy other idea.
Producing Hydrogen is EASY and can be done locally by pretty much every country on earth.
You need water and a source of electricity (green I hope)
Toyota , which has an array of viable hydogen solutions for CARS , from gas to fuel cells "GIFTS" the tech to
BYD Kia VW Hyundai Nissan etc
and gets paid a royalty for every engine installed using their tech
Why?
You cant "sanction" or "blockade" hydrogen
You cant control the Lithium mines/salt pans with "marines"
(electric cars will lead to Lithium wars ... USA already overthrew govmt in peru and is eyeing Greenland)
(The "oh my god its dangerous... Hindenburg..." YAWN.........................>)
And best of all...as gasoline cars fade away the petro dollar dies......
Yes "Cracking" water is easy and not very expensive, it's liquefying and storing hydrogen that's energy intensive, and remember that you can't get more energy out of the hydrogen than was
used to split the water in the first place. Further transporting hydrogen is tricky as with a super tiny molecule, it loves to leak.
It can be turned into ammonia for storage but that brings other challenges.
There are a bunch of reasons why it hasn't been done much already.
Hello Jeff, not sure of your background, well argued, I'm a physicist by the way, stranded in California. I've watched Shell buy out / destroyall the hydrogen stations here to kill of the Toyota Mirai because, guess what, its NOT H2 technology or safety thats the issue - it is the oil companies dying WHEN it succeeds. PEM electolysers and waste->H2 from Hyundai can be setup in ANY small town to provide local H2 (lets hope the USA doesnt bomb these as it did Nordstream II). LOCAL - thats the key, no transport worth worrying about. COSTS? Well, oil production, refining, transportation to your petrol station is WAY more polluting and $ costly than setting up local "H2O" split. Its a matter of will and IGNORING the oil companies driven by USA self interest. We can go H2 NOW across the EU. It will create jobs and a greener future. Who will complain? Not Norway or Scotland (soon ;) ) but the USA. We need oil but NOT for transportation long term. And till then Hybrids and in the name of all that is Holy NOT Lithium powered cars (filthy to produce)... as it's subject to hate wars and USA driven terrorism just like Oil is today. JUST FYI https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/clean-transportation-program/clean-transportation-funding-areas-1 and WHAT is hydrogen as a fuel, a great PUBLIC friendly summary. https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2021-06/CEC_Hydrogen_Fact_Sheet_June_2021_ADA.pdf
Cars -> H2
USD -> 0
USA hatred and ability to execute war -> near 0
OT: from the National:
"SNP Budget to pass as Anas Sarwar confirms Scottish Labour won't oppose"
Excellent news. There's been quite a bit that Labour wanted in it, and I did hope. It means the SNP won't have to give in to the posturing madness of the Greens which is good whether you're for Swinney or against, and indeed for Indy or against. It's made my day, even if just for Scotland.
Most excellent, the game is afoot.
'Passing the budget' is never really an issue, is it, as 99% always goes to the same people - NHS, councils, ScotGov departments and agencies etc.
Scotland is still a spending department of Westminster run by the same civil service.
It's the odd £5 billion and how it's spent. To exaggerate the Greens would spend it on heat pumps at extortionate electricity prices, and a failing 2nd DRS and GRRB, whereas the SNP would spend it on fighting child poverty. It needs Independence and complete control of electricity and the Scottish grid for what the Greens want without ruining us and our economy, whereas making a real difference to child poverty is more a question of reallocating the scant resources devolution gives us after Westminster takes it large cut. And that's actually positive for the economy, something moron Reeves doesn't understand. Poor people spend it all.
The Greens were parasites on the SNP vote, while massaging egos, and a lot in the SNP were too thick to realise it. That needs stopped for any chance of Independence.
Much if not most of a colonial budget is used to pay off the elites, vested interests, and also large sections of the proletariat within a colonial society. The infrastructure in a colony tends to be under-invested and hence under-developed, as we see in Scotland, so that is not where public money tends to go.
There are probably now over 10,000 senior personnel in the Scottish public/semi-public sector who are paid in excess of £100k/yr (and well over half a million employed overall). This includes university principals and heads of utilities on over £400k/yr, surgeons and consultants, justices, gov dept and agency heads etc etc. In postcolonial theory such groups are described as "the watchdogs of colonialism" (Cesaire).
The NHS is the biggest employer in Scotland, and in Europe. Scotland has 19(!) higher education institutions, 32 local authorities, several hundred schools, plus numerous government departments and hundreds of state funded agencies and quango's.
Postcolonial theory tells us that paid-off elites, professional middle class and also large sections of the proletariat tend to protect the status quo, i.e. colonialism, so long as they have "a bone to gnaw on" (Fanon) in the system. Trade unions and professional associations mostly based in the metropolitan capital are all part of a 'colonial racket'.
As the aim of colonialism "is to widen inequality" (Memmi), we may say that a colonial budget is not intended to lift the people up, it is to keep them doun.
Which brings us back to our need to better understand colonialism:
https://yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com/2021/08/01/the-determinants-of-independence-institutions/comment-page-1/
When people feel insecure, they will latch onto anything that makes them feel more secure. Or something that promises security. If the "watchdogs of colonialism" weren't insecure, they might not feel the same need to cling to the Union. Unfortunately, as you surely know, our entire socio-economic system contrives to increase insecurity. It is tension produced by insecurity, inequity, and injustice that powers the system.
Yes Peter, and this insecurity must inevitably link to the matter of 'dependency' in a colonial society, and the fact that:
"colonization is based on psychology, that there are in this world groups of men who... suffer from what must be called a dependency complex, that these groups are psychologically made for dependence; that they need dependence, that they crave it, ask for it, demand it; that this is the case with most of the colonized peoples" (Cesaire).
Its a crucial aspect because the assimilated native group, as we see with Scottish elites, "take responsibility for the colonialist order" and any (native) who dares to go against it "will be guilty of sacrilege", or worse!
HaHaHa you wrote
"whereas the SNP would spend it on fighting child poverty"
Or maybe donating it to the many deviant and perverted organisations thriving on the snp SG teat in HR
e.g. here: https://archive.is/77Wct
Greer: "Our voters seem to want us to push the government further and ensure the direction of travel that was there under Nicola Sturgeon is still the case.”
article 6th Dec 2025, NOT 6th Dec 2021. "Sturgeon". Swinney is not a Sturgeon.
Once again another madman allowed to trash as takes his fancy because the rest of us are too feart tae dae anything....but eventually like Hitler the nation had to face the monster and deal with it.At a very high price. Done sooner ..who knows.
However what has really angered me is the stomping on our 'Scottish government. '.. ( I use that description loosely) The foreign english government 'gave permission' to the gangsters that represent America at the moment to land on OUR COUNTRY without informing the Scottish government...in order to attack another country. How many countries would allow another foreign nation to take decisions that could impact on their citizen's safety as well as thumbing their nose at...guess who?....dear old daft Scotland. Our pathetic wee government complained..( gonny no dae that) ..bet the shi*tty foreign english were probably doubled in laughter.
As far as I am concerned that is enough to close the border, threaten the foreign english and toss the b*st*rds oot. I am embarrassed at our pathetic government..(who are getting a payrise this year..4.2%.).do they deserve it on this sad showing? They deserve to get their arses booted for being asleep at the wheel.
Then watching a woman murdered by American immigration police and then listening to trump lie barefacedly to the American public was very worrying.
We must become a nation again and toss the foreign english government oot before our country is destroyed. We've had a warning that we are dispensible.....
For OUR Scotland and her feartie weans.
PS to end on an upbeat note ... many of us donated to Andy Wightman our Scottish land warrior ..fighting against the foreigners grabbing our land. Not all asleep.
It's difficult to see the likes of Starmer and Macron changing tack now since they've been Trump's biggest ego massagers and appeasers. They'd probably have to be replaced for there to be any concerted European-wide stance in favour of democracy and international law.
Wake me up when we get back to Independence, including the part world leaders might play in recognising us as an independent state - or leaving us out in the cold like some others. Meanwhile from elsewhere, another hysterical amateur effort:
"[Venezuela] It’s a shocking act of colonialist aggression the likes of which has not been seen since the 19th century."
which seems to completely ignore the many many acts of colonialist aggression in the 20th century. Or even the 21st.
edit: in fairness WGD does relate it cleverly to Independence.
""[Venezuela] It’s a shocking act of colonialist aggression the likes of which has not been seen since the 19th century.""
Anglo-American oil companies and their bankers were similarly handed Scotland's North Sea oil resources in the 1970s courtesy of Westminster, with no royalties per barrel for Scots natives.
Which explains why Norway today is $2 trillion richer, has enviable infrastructure and a GDP-per-capita double ours.
Scotland was indeed raped and pillaged. Still is being.
A competent article from the National:
https://archive.is/qvgo5
Could add that the UK were considering the Osprey for the carriers for in-flight refuelling for the F-35B. Personally I prefer the buddy-buddy method - one pair on a mission and another maybe with drop tanks to refuel them. Maybe same for return flight.