Hydrogen – methane – methanol

Why methanol? It is liquid at room temperature. The other options are methane and hydrogen. Both are only an option at huge underground storages and far too expensive for decentralized energy systems. Here we are suddenly in the power-to-hydrogen, methane, and methanol debate. Hydrogen has the highest power-to-efficiency because no DAC - Direct Air Capture of CO2 is required. From a pipe in the bathroom comes 10 L of water per minute containing 1.11 kg hydrogen. Very simple. But You have to suck 4,400 m³ air through a filter to capture as much CO2 as containing the 1 kg carbon. This decreases the efficiency.

But the higher power-to-hydrogen efficiency comes at the price of far more storage costs, because the existing 25 km³ underground gas storage in Germany would contain only a third of the energy when filled with hydrogen. When this 25 km³ underground gas storage in Germany is not enough, additional storage would be far cheaper with methanol.

The 25 km³ underground gas storage in Germany is designed for the fossil energy system: delivery is constant all over the year, but in summer there is less demand than delivery, and in winter there is more demand than delivery. The difference is covered by the 25 km³ gas storage.

As the new installation numbers suggest, we are going to a very heavy photovoltaic-oriented energy transition requiring more storage for summer-winter balancing.

-250% CO2 emission until 350 ppm are reached again
	Less CO2 emission is much too little, even zero emission is insufficient. Only a planet renovation with large-scale CO2 filtering and splitting from the atmosphere will help.

Filtering and splitting CO2 from the atmosphere
	Due to their enormous space and water requirements, plants are unsuitable for the necessary reduction of the CO2 content in the atmosphere. There is no room for 37 million km² of growing forest.

390 PWh/year electricity for CO2 from the atmosphere
	Reduce the CO2 content with Power to Carbon, generate fuels with Power to Liquid and use CO2 for indoor plant cultivation to replace large-scale agriculture.

Carbon fiber becomes standard material for construction
	If we filter the 33.1 Gt CO2 emission of 2019 from the atmosphere and split it into C and O, we get 9 billion tons of carbon. What to do with it?

IPCC Report 2021: “Net Zero Emissions” Fairy Tale and its Devastating Consequences
	Constantly contradicting itself, the IPCC 2021 report adheres to the completely inadequate “net zero emissions” target. This can only be thinking prohibitions.

Green dogmatism and the destruction of the German photovoltaic industry
	How the dogma “the demand for electricity will decrease” led to extremely wrong targets, which led to the destruction of the German photovoltaic industry in 2013.

Why Germany is failing in the energy transition
	In the first decade of the new millennium, Germany was the great role model in the energy transition, why, on the other hand, the current EEG policy leads to disaster.

Sri Lanka crisis 2022 example of oil exit failures
	Hit hard by the breakdown in tourism caused by COVID-19, the higher price of oil comes as the next blow. The serious failures of the industrialized countries.

Destructive cult prevents functional energy transition
	A horror novel about a world without renewable energy and recycling delayed a workable energy transition and thus effective climate protection by decades.

Functional energy transition vs. German energy transition
	We have to denounce very hard the grotesque German energy transition in order to turn all the enemies of this grotesque into fans of a functional energy transition.

Paradigm changes – Profitability transitions – Culture shocks
	We can neither achieve energy transition nor stop climate change if we do not constantly review all parameters and abandon unsuitable views.

Cost optimization — the key to energy transition and climate protection
	Paper written for the CORP.at conference March 22 to 25 2026 in Vienna. My 2025 participation was a last-minute action, but now I have much time to prepare the paper.

Abstract
	To meet the necessary cost optimization targets, we cannot hold the energy problem separate from all other problems: another major problem is housing.

Introduction
	Many imaginations about our future had been created in the past with completely different parameters. Unchecked conclusions from the past endanger our future with unbearable costs.

My personal experience with a profitability transition
	Birds can fly without knowing all the terms of aerodynamics. I reacted with my design change to an ongoing “profitability transition” without knowing the term at this time.

Energy transition
	The long way from random electricity from sun and wind towards 24×365 electricity. Overseen profitability transitions have to be considered as major accidents.

The GEMINI principle: double usage of land
	No better solar power plant, no better housing possible on the same ground is the ultimate target of the GEMINI principle.

Energy-intensive industry
	News and statements on current topics concerning the energy transition, climate protection and the necessary development towards worldwide wealth.

Agriculture: How many square meters does a human need for his food?
	Mankind started as hunters and gatherers. 12,000 years ago, 500,000 m² to 2,500,000 m² per human. With the agricultural revolution, the land use was reduced by 2 magnitudes.

Conclusion
	News and statements on current topics concerning the energy transition, climate protection and the necessary development towards worldwide wealth.

References
	News and statements on current topics concerning the energy transition, climate protection and the necessary development towards worldwide wealth.