4 Ways of Storing Hydrogen From Renewable Energy - Spectra - June 2020

12/16/21, 4:25 PM 4 ways of storing hydrogen from renewable energy | Spectra
TOP > 4 ways of storing hydrogen from renewable energy
4 ways of storing hydrogen from

renewable energy
By Andrea Willige / 2020-06-26 View in Japanese
Index 1. Geological storage

2. Compressed hydrogen
3. Liquified hydrogen
4. Materials-based storage
Where next for hydrogen

storage?
https://spectra.mhi.com/4-ways-of-storing-hydrogen-from-renewable-energy?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=layer1&utm… 1/9
Hydrogen economy, hydrogen society, hydrogen fuel cells… Over the

last few years, the first element in the periodic table has become a
global buzzword.
This is because it has the potential to address two major challenges

in the global drive to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
First, it can help tackle the perennial issue of intermittency.

Renewables can’t provide a consistent energy supply because the
wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. By
converting excess power generated on windy or sunny days into
hydrogen, the gas acts as a medium for temporary energy storage
that we can fall back on when energy supply from renewables is low
or demand higher than usual.
Second, hydrogen can help decarbonize areas where electrification

alone is not enough. Good examples are domestic heating, and heavy
industrial processes like steel and cement manufacturing, which are
energy intensive and as such heavy emitting.
One challenge to using hydrogen in tackling climate change is that

this excellent energy storage medium has itself been hard to store.
Here are four hydrogen storage solutions that could turn the tables.
1. Geological storage
The world’s largest renewable energy storage project, called
Advanced Clean Energy Storage, was announced recently and will be
located in Utah in the United States.
Advanced Clean Energy Storage will demonstrate technologies

essential to a future decarbonized power grid.
As part of the project, hydrogen produced from excess renewable

energy will be stored in a series of underground salt caverns. A
single cavern will hold enough renewable hydrogen to provide
150,000 MWh of clean energy storage.
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems will provide the technology for

converting surplus renewable electricity into ’green’ hydrogen.
Gas storage in salt caverns is an established technology, which

enables easy knowledge transfer. Other options for geological
storage include depleted oil and gas fields and aquifers.
RELATED STORIES
How to transport COVID-19 vaccines
Why AGTs are the future of sustainable city transport
MHI centrifugal chillers: an energy efficient cooling solution
Preparing utilities for a new era of emergency response
2. Compressed hydrogen
Like any gas, hydrogen can be compressed and stored in tanks, and
then used as needed. However, the volume of hydrogen is much
larger than that of other hydrocarbons, for example nearly four times
as much as natural gas.
Therefore hydrogen needs to be compressed for practical handling

purposes. For example, fuel-cell powered cars run on compressed
hydrogen contained in highly pressurized large containers.
If an application requires hydrogen volume to be reduced further

than compression can achieve, it can be liquefied. The two
techniques – compression and liquefaction – can also be combined.
Liquid hydrogen is mainly used in space travel
3. Liquified hydrogen
MHI Group along with the space industry as a whole, has used
liquefied hydrogen to fuel rockets for many years.
But liquid hydrogen storage is technically complex and, as such, it

has historically been very costly.
Hydrogen has to be cooled to -253°C – not far from absolute zero –

and stored in insulated tanks to maintain this low temperature and
minimize evaporation.
Complexity and cost have limited the use of liquified hydrogen to

date. However, the expected proliferation of renewable hydrogen
applications may generate economies of scale to make liquefaction a

more viable storage option.
4. Materials-based storage
An alternative to compressed and liquified hydrogen storage is
materials-based storage. This technique uses materials – solids or
liquids – that can absorb or react with hydrogen to bind it, due to
their chemical attributes.
At the University of California, Berkeley, research is underway to

create an adsorbent that will allow a light-weight, inexpensive
pressure container to be used in hydrogen-powered cars, for
example, in lieu of the large, heavy containers currently in use.
Ammonia is another material that offers a path to turning hydrogen

into a liquid fuel more easily than using liquefaction.
Ammonia’s energy density by volume is nearly double that of

liquefied hydrogen, making it far easier to store and transport.
Materials storage uses chemicals that can bind hydrogen for easier handling
Where next for hydrogen storage?

It’s clear that unleashing hydrogen’s potential for delivering truly
decarbonized societies and economies will depend on identifying the
most suitable storage method for each application. And it’s not only
about the technical possibilities – any approach has to be
economically viable.
But science does not stand still: last year, a team of international
scientists at Lancaster University in the U.K. discovered a new
material, made from manganese hydride, which could store four
times more hydrogen in the same volume as current fuel cell
technologies. It also doesn’t require external heating and cooling.
While the research focus was on hydrogen-fueled cars, the
implications of this discovery may ultimately go further to help open
up a mass market for hydrogen.
Get our free eBook

Hydrogen - Powering a Net-Zero Future
RELATED TAGS
#Carbon Neutral World #Power & Energy #Infrastructure
By Andrea Willige
Andrea Willige has spent many years creating content

for the international business and technology press,
working on behalf of some of the world’s largest
technology companies.
Share this story
Related stories
CARBON CARBON
NEUTRAL NEUTRAL
WORLD WORLD
#Power & Energy #People & Leaders
#4IR Technologies #Power & Energy
3 trends that will The Energy Transition in

transform the energy APAC: one step at a time
industry 2021-06-29
2020-09-29
How technology can accelerate decarbonization

CARBON NEUTRAL WORLD
#Power & Energy #People & Leaders
How technology can accelerate decarbonization
2021-12-16
MHI Global Privacy Terms of About

web site policy use Spectra
© Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries, Ltd.

4 Ways of Storing Hydrogen From Renewable Energy - Spectra - June 2020

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

4 Ways of Storing Hydrogen From Renewable Energy - Spectra - June 2020

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

4 Ways of Storing Hydrogen From Renewable Energy - Spectra - June 2020

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

12/16/21, 4:25 PM 4 ways of storing hydrogen from renewable energy | Spectra

TOP > 4 ways of storing hydrogen from renewable energy

4 ways of storing hydrogen from

By Andrea Willige / 2020-06-26 View in Japanese

Index 1. Geological storage

Where next for hydrogen

Hydrogen economy, hydrogen society, hydrogen fuel cells… Over the

This is because it has the potential to address two major challenges

First, it can help tackle the perennial issue of intermittency.

Second, hydrogen can help decarbonize areas where electrification

One challenge to using hydrogen in tackling climate change is that

Advanced Clean Energy Storage will demonstrate technologies

As part of the project, hydrogen produced from excess renewable

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems will provide the technology for

Gas storage in salt caverns is an established technology, which

Why AGTs are the future of sustainable city transport

MHI centrifugal chillers: an energy efficient cooling solution

Preparing utilities for a new era of emergency response

Therefore hydrogen needs to be compressed for practical handling

If an application requires hydrogen volume to be reduced further

Liquid hydrogen is mainly used in space travel

But liquid hydrogen storage is technically complex and, as such, it

Hydrogen has to be cooled to -253°C – not far from absolute zero –

Complexity and cost have limited the use of liquified hydrogen to

applications may generate economies of scale to make liquefaction a

At the University of California, Berkeley, research is underway to

Ammonia is another material that offers a path to turning hydrogen

Ammonia’s energy density by volume is nearly double that of

Where next for hydrogen storage?

Get our free eBook

Andrea Willige has spent many years creating content

Share this story

#Power & Energy #People & Leaders

#4IR Technologies #Power & Energy

3 trends that will The Energy Transition in

How technology can accelerate decarbonization

#Power & Energy #People & Leaders

How technology can accelerate decarbonization

MHI Global Privacy Terms of About

You might also like