Problem with that is the different time frames involved. The self or by law imposed emission reduction targets, the national targets, EU targets, and the required infrastructure for both mining and transportation as well as the conversion of the steel factories, no small feat either. France can make some good money with it but for policies and the need to address climate change asap it’s inconsequential. It’s a way for Macron to attract more investments, and make them (subsidies results in investments).
Same for bold titled youtube vids, that’s not what policies and the resulting billion of dollars costing strategies are based on. Strategies for the next several decades. The electrolysers being built for billions now aren’t going to be replaced in a few years, instead it will take years before they can produce significant amounts and Shell and others get to make their money back first, and then some.
Depends a lot on what you mean with few but the problem is that abundance is then global total. And that’s the crux of the situation. We’re not talking about a few wind parks or solar fields. but massive chunks of land and sea (ours is full), chunks of entire countries (like a quarter of Oman), a chunk of Africa. And parts of repressive regimes like Saudi Arabia, for which they’ll be well paid. It’s why NL jumped on the opportunity to make a deal with Australia (when they started building green hydrogen factory), literally the other side of the world but at least they're the good guys and somewhat stable.
Big oil is betting against that abundance (so they can provide gray or blue hydrogen for the infrastructure we’ll then depend on). It’s also extremely inefficient, at the end of the line only 40-60% of the renewable energy that went in remains for use. They win either way, who do you think builds those electrolysers and hydrogen factories across the globe. That abundance doesn't exist, won't in a few years either. Who owns the gray (and possibly blue) hydrogen factories to make up for the shortage... same companies that pushed it through the largest lobbying attempts Europe has ever seen. Same companies that want us to drive on hydrogen. Same companies already complaining 'make it more profitable'.
While not everything can be electrified, once this is all set up, and we neocolonized Africa (which will have an extra hard time reaching their own targets as a result), that seemingly green but very costly hydrogen isn't going to quench our thirst for more industry and more meat and more fabrication and more destruction of the planet.
