Bill Gross at CERAWeek - Heliogen's Sunlight Refinery: green hydrogen competitive with fossil fuel

An energy transition will only occur if it’s profitable, and the path to profit is based on technological innovation that fully embraces Moore’s Law and the significant improvements in computation over the last decade. This talk will focus on breaking barriers in energy storage costs, 24/7 electricity costs, and green hydrogen costs that will enable energy companies to become even more profitable in a decarbonizing economy.
Links:
Website: heliogen.com/
LinkedIn: bit.ly/Heliogen...
Twitter: bit.ly/Heliogen...
Instagram: bit.ly/Heliogen...
#Heliogen #SunlightRefinery #FuelTheFuture #ClimateChallenge #ClimateSolutions #Energy #SolarEnergy #Solar #SolarPower #CleanTech #CleanEnergy #Renewables #RenewableEnergy #Sustainable #Sustainability #SaveTheEarth #GoGreen #Idealab #RenewableFuels #SolarFuels #Hydrogen #Syngas #ProcessHeat #Heliogen #EnergyTransition

[@moko8870]

This is a great breakthrough. Hydrogen and ammonia are the future. We must thank USA scientists for this innovation

[@mariojohnson4695]

Extremely compelling, especially if it works in large scale.

[@Mike-ms6he]

When I started this video I thought "it's just the Spanish power tower"...and then you explain why it's really not "just another power tower". This is incredible. Amazing amazing work- I wish I could be involved.

[@ronaldrobinson9517]

BUY THIS STOCK THIS WILL BE THE FUTURE .

[@thecoder7188]

this is a very exciting project.

[@infamous5369]

I’m invested, very convincing haha

[@Italya3343]

Amazing video, many thanks for sharing! Could you please add time lines for your golas every 2 years this decade? I mean, when can people pump hydrogen almost everywhere in Europe, Canada, usa, etc

[@ECL213]

Thanks for explaining it well, I wasn't sure how this would work...but where does the hydrogen part come from? Is there another company?

[@behnamrahimi5307]

Can you harness and concentrate the reflect on the tower for getting it as hot as possible.

[@jamesbolno4201]

How can one invest in heliogen ?

[@mrgyani]

8:12 - wow, this is what I have been waiting for. And you say it has already happened? Cost of hydrogen produced from solar is already lower than from natural gas? Unbelievable.. I don't think people realize what a massive breakthrough this is.

[@AlRios523]

Great info. is it a public co.?

[@gabungan69]

Should put sterling engine for that heated rock will continuous AC supply

[@nateb4543]

Or a Tesla turbine and some seawater. Get clean water and electricity, bam!

[@papparocket]

I know that rocks are cheap, but phase change materials (such as salts at the temperatures generated by this system) not only store a lot more energy per volume using the latent heat, they also release that energy at a specific temperature. Using the sensible heat of rocks on the other hand stores energy by changing the temperature of the rocks, which means that processes driven by sensible heat storage has to be able to operate over a significant temperature range. Also there are a lot of industrial processes that require high temperatures. This type of system with the higher maximum temperature of other types of concentrated solar collectors could be directly used to drive those processes that require the higher temperatures.

[@anders21karlsson]

Great video...! I hope you succeed!!!!!!

[@M_Jono]

this is a breakthrough

[@rnunezc.4575]

He is not explaining transportation eficciency compare to oil....can you pipe hydrogen...?

[@nateb4543]

Bill is a genius. Now we just hydrogen powered freight trucks, eventually personal vehicles and the world is changed

[@drpk6514]

Isit possible to transfer the concentrated light with fiber optic?

[@bryanhale5254]

One very important a little side note if you hook up the fella out in New Mexico he's a scientist to build a small particle generator particle accelerator rather on his little ranch there and he's making hydride I'm sorry hydrite I think and he puts it in some tanks that are about the size of a SCUBA tank and he's been running his Corvette getting concentrated hydrogen into those tanks using the hydrite the only problem is it's illegal for him to make this substance but you can't get it from the government because it's a material that is used in the implementation of nuclear weapons unfortunately so it's a controlled substance somehow we just have to get over that because is Corvette with those I don't know how many tanks he has in the hatchback of his Corvette it's not a very big space but that Corvette goes 300 miles without a refueling and of course you know how big the motor is on a Corvette imagine if there's a motor that's way more efficient or perhaps considering the possibility of using fuel cells and one of the new efficient Electric Motors all right just something to think about I know ammonia is another possibility this other thing really works incredibly well I do believe I heard some little thing Through the Grapevine that maybe Toyota is working with that hydrite alright then just something to consider or look into thank you so much

[@zyxwvutsrqponmlkh]

Why do you have shot glasses under your mirrors?

[@nikolatesla5553]

I feel like this is snake oil. If Heliogen can do all this, where are the orders for it? There should be a five year backorder for these refineries, but there is not.

[@kaya051285]

This video doesn't explain anything at all Sure you can have high temperature sunlight But the cost of turning that heat into eletricity isn't going to be cheap Then the cost to turn that electricity into hydrogen isn't going to be cheap Then the cost to pipe that hydrogen across continents isn't going to be cheap This doesn't solve anything More likely if a hydrogen future exists is to use solar PV and make hydrogen from that and pipe that into the cities rather than send the electricity over cables Or to use wind turbines and make hydrogen and pipe that into the cities rather than send eletricity over cables

[@mrgyani]

If this is true, why aren't we seeing the shift to hydrogen produced from solar during this Ukraine russia war? Even if takes a year to set up a plant - that would still be worth it - 8:12

[@xenarxandre9826]

nice

[@robertpearce-bailey5576]

Now all you need is a few billion £££

[@ZigZagHockey]

Great ideas, pity they are still pushing the "Carbon dioxide is bad for the planet" myth.

[@81deneb81]

Very interesting. Have the cost of transporting water over vast distances been included in your calculations? Deserts sounds like the ideal place with lots of sunshine, but they also tend to be far away from water. I don't know if the required amount of water for electrolysis is that great. And on a sidenote. Please don't say that you create electrons. You don't. You make electrical energy.

[@mski435]

Exactly my question too. I am however encouraged by their strategy and innovation and hope that more investment is made to further this along

[@wyganter]

High-voltage power lines can transport the electricity to a body of water

[@81deneb81]

@@wyganter good point. That would also solve the problem transporting the hydrogen through the desert as long as the body of water is the sea or a major river.

[@spectator59]

Color me skeptical. What about the considerable energy required to manufacture and construct these refineries? How long to pay back that energy input? Cost and energy required to move water to the desert? Hydrogen is notoriously difficult to transport; since it's such a small molecule, containers or pipes that prevent leaks are expensive. Then there's the issue of new powerplants to burn that hydrogen to produce power, and the cost and energy input for their construction. Also, the way the history and background science is presented here is not correct. Seems like the intended audience must not be very technically literate. Don't get me wrong, it would be great if this can be made to work economically--I just think it's probably much further off than Bill Gross suggests.

[@casper-z9rkls6gl]

Petroleum drilling, extraction, refining, transport and storage is pretty expensive too.

[@qusainalawala4338]

Nobody thought rockets could land back on earth in one piece, but SpaceX did it in a decade. This is definitely doable!

[@EveryoneWhoUsesThisTV]

Please talk the mining companies in Western Australia into refining their metals with concentrated solar furnaces! They have the perfect overlap there of sunlight and minerals... :)

[@AJLewis-ls7ru]

How effective will this be in tropical climates like those in the Caribbean?

[@tyakashigwedha4057]

this is really a brilliant idea but will this not increase the words temperature mostly in the longer period of the reflection of the mirrors under correction

[@razingcanez717]

I hope you're right! I'm really hoping for a plentiful green fuel.

[@richardsuckerson49]

a small modular plant would be useful for Lunar activities, if it could fit in a starship payload

[@josecasagrande4943]

My Dream is to work with renewable energy.

[@eronfire]

Solar Energy It's an alternative to change the way we use energy. You gotta a big potential to work in it.

[@NaProbablyNot]

This is incredible! Let’s get this goin ASAP.

[@kaya051285]

A solar farm with trackers can have 30% capacity factor Add 1 day battery storage & double the number of panels and you then have 60% capacity factor So solar power with just 1 day battery storage could get humanity to 60% solar 40% other (hydro nuclear biomass fossil fuels) If the batteries cost $100/KWh and can cycle 10,000 times that is just 1 cent / KWh for the storage cost. But since you are only storing about half of the electricity the per unit cost is closer to 0.5 cents So there is a pathway to 60% of primary energy usage coming form solar PV and Batteries at an affordable price point No need to worry about hydrogen storage for at least another 20 years Also where the sun isn't strong there is good wind eg in Europe they have access to 60% capacity factor offshore wind sites so they can go to 60% wind without having to do mass hydrogen storage

[@nateb4543]

The batteries/storage is the biggest hurdle for renewables. I like your thinking but have to assume if it were that easy it would've been done by now

[@kaya051285]

@@nateb4543 People don't seem to realise energy infrastructure moves slowly mostly because energy infrastructure has long lives You build a coal mone orpower station to last 50 years. You build a nuke to last 60 years. And even solar and wind farms will last at least 30 year The USA was powered by Wood 🪵 It took 100 years for coal to surpass wood It then took 100 years for oil to surpass coal I don't think it's going to take 100 years for solar and wind to surpass oil. More like 50 years (30 years from now) We are just impatient Wind and solar has already won Just like coal won over wood It just takes 50 years for the infrastructure change to happen as the old infrastructure has long life

[@kaya051285]

@@nateb4543 The problem is people don't seem to understand it took more than 50 years for coal oil and gas to develop from close to nothing to powering the world The same will be and is true for solar and wind. It will take 50 years to go from nothing to powering most the world I'd argue 2010 is the real start of solar and wind on any scale so by 2060 you would expect they will dominate and be producing more power than fossil fuels Some countries will happen sooner The UK is likely to reach more energy generated from wind and solar than used with oil gas and coal combined by the year 2040 so just 19 years time

[@williamrichardson6090]

How can I invest in this?

[@millanferende6723]

I would love to know how you guys actually make hydrogen at this place. :) Does the heat get directly used to creating hydrogen? Or is heat converted to electricity first, to then make hydrogen? That latter feels less efficient, so I'm sure you've guys have come up with something completely brilliant! I was personally expecting relatively small, AI robot, that drive around with a long arm and clean the mirrors and refuels itself. Around the clock. Like those automated, small lawnmower machines. The less people that are needed for maintenance, the more efficient it gets.

[@nateb4543]

You're killing jobs! 100 years in the future "when I was your age kid, I cleaned mirrors in 110° heat for only $40/hour" Wow grandpa, and people used gasoline back then? You're so old

[@millanferende6723]

@@nateb4543 40 an hour is very kind... it would be 15$ an hour if the new minimum bill passes xD

[@truerthanyouknow9456]

Bill already has a plant operating. This is awesome! Alberta, Canada has plenty of sunshine and desert climate conditions. We had better get in on this technology before we're left in the dust and commit our current fossil fuels maintenance work force toward cleaning up the mess it's made.

[@sk.n.9302]

Highly interesting & informative. Have interview this week in this field, video very helpful.

[@notchfox6086]

Wow very interesting

[@glennalexon1530]

Less than a minute in, and this video is already full of bull. The industrial revolution was about manufacturing processes, not energy. And in my opinion, farming is a more important business than is energy. Energy is awesome; no need to lie about it.

[@Locreai]

What is the volume of carbon release and other pollutants created in the extraction, smelting, refining, casting, milling, assembly, and installation, as well as maintenance, of all the metals/glass and other materials that are used in your industry and how does that stack up against your energy production over working lifetime? That's the only real number that matters after all