• schroedingershat@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Green steel is the perfect dispatchable load. The steps up until sponge iron require very little capex, with the input costs being driven by energy price it is a far better match for renewables.

    Same goes for high temperature electrolysis.

    The resulting iron stores 2-8kWh/kg with nothing more than a box as infrastructure (and maybe some oil or nitrogen to stop rust).

    Both are so ideal as dispatchable loads that iron js seriously being considered as a fuel/energy carrier instead of hydrogen.

    Then run the arc furnaces which are higher capex and labour cost but a fifth of the energy at a constant rate.

    The idea of buildkng nuclear to run green steel is utterly deranged.