The Hydrogen Stream: Hydrogen storage in lakes, reservoirs
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology researchers have told pv magazine that hydrogen storage pipelines and gravel could become a reality in lakes or water reservoirs in Europe, the United States, Japan, or China within 10 years. “The technology required to implement the proposed system is available, simple and cheap,” they said.
September 13, 2024 Sergio Matalucci
Global potential for hydrogen storage in lakes and reservoirs
Image: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, nature communications, Common License CC BY 4.0
Share
    
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology researchers have proposed using high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipelines – filled with gravel, tailings, or sand – to store hydrogen in lakes and reservoirs as a competitive long-term storage option where salt caverns are unavailable. “The cheapest option is to use mining tailing, as it would also solve the problem of where to put waste material from mines. Gravel is usually expensive. Sand is a cheaper option,” researcher Julian Hunt told pv magazine. The proposed storage solution requires a deep hydropower reservoir or lake. “The reason why storing hydrogen pipes and gravel in lakes and reservoirs is cheap is because the pressure inside the tank is always equal to the pressure outside the tank at a fixed depth,” said Hunt. “This is good because the pipeline does not need to be reinforced with carbon fiber, which is expensive. The pressure of the tank increases by 1 bar with an increase in depth of 10.2 meters.” Besides the depth, flat bottoms in water reservoirs are crucial to prevent sediment flow from damaging the tanks, added Hunt. “The tanks would still operate covered by sediments,” he said. “However, if there are leaks in the pipeline, it might not be possible to fix the tank.” The main security consideration for the proposed storage approach is to avoid or monitor navigation over the storage tanks. “If a large object is dropped from the surface or a boat sinks and hits the pipeline, it can damage the pipeline and release H2. The release of H2 will not impact aquatic life, and the risk of explosions on the surface is small as the hydrogen will rapidly rise in the atmosphere,” said Hunt. “The main environmental impact is the existence of large pipelines at the bottom of the lake/reservoir, which could disrupt the fauna and flora at the bottom of the reservoir.” He noted that the H2 extracted from the tank will have traces of water vapor, around 0.1%, depending on the depth and temperature of the tank. “This might be a problem if H2 requirements in future grids are very pure,” he said. In “ Hydrogen storage with gravel and pipes in lakes and reservoirs” – recently published in Nature Communications – the team said that the proposed storage system could be a reality in 10 years.
Iberdrola said that it has reached a final investment decision with BP for a 25 MW green hydrogen project at BP's refinery in Castellón, Spain, set to start in late 2026. It said the joint venture, Castellón Green Hydrogen S.L., is equally owned by both companies. It will benefit from €15 million ($16.6 million) in funding from the Spanish government and NextGenerationEU. The project will feature a 25 MW electrolyzer powered by renewable energy under a power purchase agreement with Iberdrola España. Plug Power will supply five 5 MW proton exchange membrane (PEM) modules.
Envision said that it will build Europe’s first integrated green hydrogen net-zero industrial park with support from the Spanish government, industry partners, and financial firms. The Shanghai-based company said the project will play a role in achieving 5 GW of electrolysis capacity, helping Spain to reach its Hydrogen Roadmap goal of 11 GW by 2030. The $1 billion investment from Envision and its partners is expected to create 1,000 new green jobs. The deal was confirmed during Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's recent visit to China, with construction set to begin in early 2026.
Industrie De Nora and Asahi Kasei have agreed to develop and market containerized, modular pressurized electrolyzers for small-scale green hydrogen production. Industrie De Nora will use its gigafactory – now under construction near Milan, Italy – to advance its electrolyzer design, while Asahi Kasei will drive sales and provide global after-sales support.
Deutsche ReGas said it has finished the front end engineering and design (FEED) phase for the H2 Hub Lubmin in Germany. The company plans to build a 200 MW electrolysis plant by the end of 2026, with an additional 500 MW to be added by 2028. It also recently announced the development of the Lubmin H2 import terminal, set to start operations in 2026.
pv-magazine.com |
