The secret of completely transforming the global energy system into renewable energy is probably the richest material in the universe.
In addition to car makers BMW and Audi, hydrogen has also received Uniper SE support from Royal Dutch Shell's large energy company.
They are supporting research into how this element can be used to store energy over a few weeks or even months of lithium content.
Ion batteries can be managed.
Industrial investment in hydrogen is only $2.
5 billion over the past decade, this work has provided answers to the elusive question of how to maintain electricity use in the future.
Batteries are increasingly moving from day to night, but they tend to flatten after a few weeks.
Hydrogen can be stored in tanks indefinitely.
For example, this will allow voltage collected from solar panels in the summer to be used in the winter.
Pierre said: "2020 to 2030 will be the year of hydrogen, just like the year of solar and wind energy in 1990 . "
Etienne Franc is the senior vice president of business and technology for liquefied air, a French industrial gas manufacturer, and the initiative secretary of the Hydrogen Council of the trade group that promotes this work.
"This is a real strategic shift.
"The technology of using hydrogen as an energy storage is well known, although it has not been proven in a commercial environment.
Excess power generated by wind or photovoltaic will drive electrolysis, separating water into hydrogen and oxygen elements.
The hydrogen captured by the process can power natural gas power plants or fuel cells as long as it is needed.
Industrial plants such as refineries can also use hydrogen in chemical processes.
To date, the energy industry has focused primarily on the potential of hydrogen in fuel cells, which generate electricity using elements in chemical reactions. On power-
Storage, most of the money spent on batteries like lithium batteries
Ion batteries that are widely used in mobile phones and laptops.
However, these people tend to lose their fees if they do not recharge and discharge frequently.
The storage of hydrogen is attractive because it can preserve energy for a long time.
The only real alternative at the moment is to pump water to the summit reservoir where water can be blocked until the grid manager is ready to let the water flow down through the hydro turbine. That so-
The right location is required for pumped storage.
If hydrogen can store energy cheaply, it will allow utilities to scale down fossil-fuel power plants by making it easier for the grid to handle intermittent power flows from wind and solar power plants.
About $3, for example.
China lost 4 billion of its revenue last year as wind farms were forced to remain idle due to heavy power lines.
"If you want to get 100% renewable energy, hydrogen can play a key role," said Claire Curry, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance . ".
"You can have a gas plant, but it's certainly not 100% clean.
"The research on hydrogen is still in its infancy, but support for large enterprises is growing.
The Hydrogen Council was established at the last World Economic Forum in Davos, and 17 major companies are looking for ways to integrate natural gas into clean energy systems.
Its members include Shell, Total, Auggie and Toyota.
Audi and Iwata, Japan's industrial gas supplier.
General Motors
In the process of joining.
The council is considering the establishment of a technical demonstration project fund and will hold its next UN climate talks in Bonn in November.
At present, with the support of German utilities Uniper, EU and various industrial and energy companies, some projects are in operation.
Source: BNEFCurry's research at BNEF shows that hydrogen storage systems can work in areas like West Texas, where there is a wealth of existing energy networks and customer support to bring solar energy
She evaluated a theory 1 gigawatt solar farm that supplies power to the units that produce hydrogen, and now, in the right case, the hydrogen storage units can be profitable.
For BNEF research instructions on how to pay for hydrogen storage, click here.
There are disadvantages to hydrogen.
Curry says government incentives are needed to create a storage market.
At present, the battery is a substitute for many functions that hydrogen can achieve.
The whole idea of converting energy into gas and then into energy makes some people feel complicated.
Eric Fairbain, CEO of Pod Point Ltd. , an electric-
American car charging networkK.
He believes that the role of hydrogen should be limited to allow simpler technologies to flourish, especially when the battery can do the job.
"In general, when you convert energy from one form to another, you lose efficiency," Fairbain said . ".
"You mainly produce hydrogen by separating hydrogen from oxygen by Electrolytic Water and electricity, and then immediately lose energy for a quarter of an hour.
Still, companies are optimistic about the technology and urge the government to support it.
For a list of hydrogen storage items and their promoters, click here.
Toshiba electronics manufacturers
Northeast Electric Power Corporation and utility Corporation
Fukushima, Japan, is also working on a hydrogen project.
The plant will have 10 MW and will be operational on 2021.
Once it's done, it's probably the biggest in the world.
Uniper started its Falkenhagen plant in August 2013, converting excess wind power into hydrogen, and then combining hydrogen with carbon dioxide to produce methane--natural gas.
Natural gas is transported and stored in existing pipelines.
"Natural gas power generation is a key technology," said Eckhardt Ruemmler, a board member of the Uniper board responsible for innovation.
"Due to the lack of political framework, large-scale technology use is currently hindered. ”—