I concur. This is really fucking stupid. The only actual advantage that airships have is loitering time, and solar aeroplanes can already loiter for months albeit with a small payload.
If you really care about the environment, make it an unmanned post and use more efficient (because it’s lighter) and abundant hydrogen. Chance of explosion is pretty low, and if it does who cares.
Cethin@lemmy.zip 1 year ago
Hydrogen would make more sense, but people are scared of it. Hydrogen craft are actually pretty safe. I think the British tried to use incendiary rounds to ignite hydrogen craft but there was too little oxygen so they wouldn’t burn. They switched to a mix of incendiary and regular round to create holes for airflow before igniting.
Jamil@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Hydrogen makes more sense, but it’s still derived from methane. Not getting away from fossil fuels. And methane is a potent green house gas, far more than carbon dioxide. Any industrial uses for methane will surely have accidental emissions.
Cethin@lemmy.zip 1 year ago
Well, it’s currently generated using methane because it’s the most efficient option available. In a world with 100% clean energy with extra capacity available, electrical decomposition of water gets you hydrogen (and a little oxygen to use for something else if you want).