Synthetic fuel recycles carbon in the atmosphere, no new fossil fuel is required.
Peaky renewables are ideal candidates for making the required hydrogen
The carbon can be taken from a wide range of industrial byproducts
The Germans developed synthetic fuels from hydrogen and carbon, coal, in the 1930’s to power their entire war effort, I think we can improve on that 100 years later.
Synthetic fuels still rejects CO2 in the atmosphere and most importantly it requires a ton of energy that doesn’t make it sustainable in the long term https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/05/synthetic-gasoline-promises-neutral-emissions-but-the-math-doesnt-work/
Synthetic fuel recycles carbon in the atmosphere, no new fossil fuel is required.
Peaky renewables are ideal candidates for making the required hydrogen
The carbon can be taken from a wide range of industrial byproducts
The Germans developed synthetic fuels from hydrogen and carbon, coal, in the 1930’s to power their entire war effort, I think we can improve on that 100 years later.
Best not to release that into the atmosphere.
Least worst options are all we have to transition off burning stuff that’s actually really useful and infinitely recyclable.