[ storage & transport ]
Reinventing hydrogen storage and transportation technologies
In the last few years , since the investments have started increasing dramatically in the hydrogen space , the vast majority of the industry has been focused on addressing the production challenge . With over 1046 ( clean ) hydrogen projects , 38 million tons of annual production capacity projected by 2030 , fastimproving electrolysis efficiency and decreasing costs , the green hydrogen production industry is not there yet , but it is on-track . The next challenges for hydrogen are storage and transportation .
By Assaf Sayada , CEO ; and Dr . Shmuel Gonen , R & D Team Leader , Hydro X
Current state of hydrogen storage technology
A large portion of clean hydrogen will not be consumed at the same time and location where it is produced – a very different setup than the majority of old ( gray ) hydrogen projects in the past few decades . Long-term , seasonal storage of hydrogen is key to several use cases and applications in the hydrogen economy . Countries like Germany , Japan , and South Korea are planning to import 85 – 90 % of their hydrogen .
Moreover , all these technologies involve the use of toxic , flammable and / or explosive materials – having at least two of these three characteristics . The result : very high CapEx and ongoing maintenance are required to make this infrastructure relatively safe and comply with regulations . In many cases , such storage is even prohibited in populated areas . The complexity of handling and operating hydrogen projects in the industry today is very often related to this safety challenge .
All conventional hydrogen storage technologies ( compressed hydrogen , liquified / cryogenic hydrogen , ammonia ) as well as more modern technologies , including liquid organic hydrogen carriers ( LOHC ), require extreme conditions of compression and / or temperature . In order to reach those very high or very low temperatures and / or high compression , significant amounts of energy are required , sometimes reaching up to 13 kWh or even above 40 kWh to store and release one kilogram of hydrogen . The result : poor energy efficiency and very high OpEx costs , much above industry targets .
Most technologies even require maintaining these temperatures and / or compression levels over time , which increases their energy costs to huge levels for long-term , seasonal storage .
The high OpEx and CapEx , along with the hazardous / cumbersome / regulated supply chain , pose clear obstacles in scaling up the hydrogen economy and contribute to related risks . The levelized cost of hydrogen , storage , and transportation often reaches double-digit figures in dollars per kilogram of hydrogen – far above the industry ’ s target of USD 2 – 3 per kilogram of green hydrogen , including production and storage / transportation .
Catalytic and circular reaction
At the crossroads of advanced chemistry and materials engineering , Hydro X has developed a revolutionary technology that enables the reinvention of the conventional way of storing and transporting hydrogen . This is achieved through a catalytic and reversible reaction ,
Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 11 | August 2023 19