[ storage & transport ]
The result : < USD 1 per kilogram of hydrogen OpEx cost for the round trip ( charging + discharging ).
Due to the relatively low required temperature ( 35 – 50 ° C ) and pressure ( 10 – 20 bar ), this energy requirement can be further reduced by using heat produced by a nearby electrolyzer , fuel cell , or other equipment with extra heat and pressure .
Benefits for ( long-term ) stationary storage of hydrogen
One of the main use cases in the hydrogen economy is long-term storage , spanning day- , week- and even month-long periods . This includes buffering or back-up for chemical , iron and steel , and other heavy industries , hydrogen and gasblending turbines , seasonal energy storage for renewable energy fields , as well as for factories , data centers , and other distributed facilities in urban areas .
and high CapEx costs . When the use case involves long-term , seasonal ( e . g ., summer to winter ) storage of hydrogen , the storage OpEx costs grow linearly to very high levels , and the CapEx costs are amortized on smaller amounts of hydrogen .
By contrast , formate-bicarbonate cycle-based technology does not require maintaining any specific temperature or pressure during the storage period . No safety maintenance or high CapEx is required due to its non-toxic , nonflammable and non-explosive characteristics . The result : flat costs , around the USD 1 per kilogram of hydrogen , regardless of the length of the storage period .
Benefits for hydrogen transportation
The safety risks associated with conventional technologies result in the need to use special , dedicated , expensive , and highly regulated trucks , ships , trains , or pipelines to transport hydrogen .
Conventional technologies require maintaining some temperature / pressure conditions during the storage period , which requires significant amounts of energy over time . Moreover , the safety risks result in expensive periodical safety maintenance
Using formate / bicarbonate aqueous solutions enables the transportation of hydrogen in plastic tanks on regular trucks driven by drivers with standard driving licenses , with no limitations related to tunnels or underground parking .
Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 11 | August 2023 21