Or at least a very large chunk of the climate hange problem is solved.

As Steiner explained, the e-fuel plant will use wind power to electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is then combined with carbon captured from the air or industrial sources to synthesize methanol, which in turn can then be converted into longer hydrocarbons to be used as fuel. The synthetic e-fuel is a direct drop-in for pump gasoline,

As we’ve been saying for some time now if we can have cheap green hydrogen then we are indeed done. True, there then has to be some Stinks work but nothing difficult. If we’ve hydrogen and CO2 then we can make methanol, gasoline, aviation fuel and, obviously, methane. All of which will be net zero carbon.

The synthetic e-fuel won't be exactly cheap—Steiner thinks at current prices, it works out to around $8 per gallon ($2/L),

We’d not want to run the world’s airfleet on something at that cost but we most certainly could do. And it would almost certainly be cheaper to do so than to junk everything we’ve already got and start using Zeppelins instead. Most of Europe has been paying €2 a litre recently and while it’s a dent to the pocketbook internal combustion engines are still cheaper than electric cars right now covering all running costs.

This also largely solves the battery problem. We know how to stock, store, transport and use at our leisure - gain dispatchable energy from - such chemical constructions.

So, we’re done. As long as all of those laws banning ICEs, banning gas boilers and all that are rescinded.

This also shows us exactly why we should deal with the problem through the carbon tax, not through planning and the government picking of losers. We desire to use the solution to the problem which does that solving at the lowest cost. Which is why we use the - suitably adjusted - price system. To work out which is doing the solving at the lowest cost.

Our intuition here - intuition being a posh word for lightly informed guess - is that at these prices this solves aviation and comes close to dealing with cars. But doesn’t sort out the house heating problem. But that’s OK, this is the first plant, the pilot one. As we keep being told about solar, windmills and all the rest, it’s the building of them in volume that reduces costs. So we’ve still that to look forward to.