Solid-State Hydrogen Storage = Distributed Power

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Developing countries will consume 65% of global energy demand by 2040, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Distribution technology is however often below developed standards in these countries. Moreover, scattered communities across vast distances make traditional western-style power-grid distribution impractical. Renewables can generate electricity, but battery storage is expensive. Now, an Oxford University spin-off thinks solid-state hydrogen storage is the answer.

How Solid-State Hydrogen Storage Works

solid-state hydrogen storage
Solid State Hydrogen Storage: Image: H2GO Power

Wired reports the company is using nanomaterials to create semi-flexible sponges. First, these trap hydrogen atoms in their pores. Then the atoms release as hydrogen gas after controlled heating, and this gas can burn to power fuel cells. Apparently, it’s as simple as that.

“Once you reach the required temperature,” a company spokesperson explains, “the structure distorts and releases the hydrogen. It is a bit like pushing corks out of bottles. We use electrolysis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.” And then solid-state hydrogen storage takes over.

But, Do We Have Enough Water in Arid Places?

solid-state hydrogen storage
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Unit: H2GO Power

But, we would need a reliable supply of water, which we could conceivably deliver in tankers or pipes. Fortunately between 80 and 90% of the water would be available for reuse. By way of an example, a large hospital would consume approximately 15 gallons of water per hour. “In some places we have hospitals that have 12 hours of blackouts a day,” a company spokesperson says.

David Howey from the parent university is a lithium sceptic. “Because what we know from testing in a lab is we can take ten cells from the same manufacturer, test them the same way and spread over time – but they won’t behave in the same way,” he says. Therefore, he believes it is time we looked into the “myriad of alternative battery technologies out there.” These include the solid-state hydrogen storage we wrote of today.

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Preview Image: Fuel Cell

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About Author

I tripped over a shrinking bank balance and fell into the writing gig unintentionally. This was after I escaped the corporate world and searched in vain for ways to become rich on the internet by doing nothing. Despite the fact that writing is no recipe for wealth, I rather enjoy it. I will not deny I am obsessed with it when I have the time. I live in Margate on the Kwazulu-Natal south coast of South Africa. I work from home where I ponder on the future of the planet, and what lies beyond in the great hereafter. Sometimes I step out of my computer into the silent riverine forests, and empty golden beaches for which the area is renowned. Richard

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