Hydrogen advocates have proposed that we consider using hydrogen pipelines to wheel renewable energy long distances in lieu of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) high-voltage alternating current (HVAC). Is that idea feasible, and how might such a scheme compare in cost and efficiencies with electrical transmission lines?

by admin | Mar 27, 2021 | Transportation and Storage

The US has about 1,600 miles of hydrogen pipeline today, mostly along the Gulf Coast to service oil refiner hydrogen demand. Low concentrations of hydrogen can be mixed in the existing natural gas pipeline system for transport, and existing gas pipelines may be able...

Doesn’t the Pacific Northwest already have all the energy storage it needs in its hydroelectric system?

by admin | Mar 27, 2021 | Transportation and Storage

The Northwest is blessed with comparatively large amounts of energy storage in the form of water in reservoirs behind dams in the Columbia River drainage basin. That storage is leveraged to good purpose today to balance the variability of wind and solar on the system,...

Can’t the needs for energy storage attendant with use of variable renewable source like wind and solar already be satisfied using lithium-ion battery technology?

by admin | Mar 27, 2021 | Transportation and Storage

Some of the needs for energy storage may best be met with higher efficient battery and other conventional storage technologies (pumped hydro, compressed air, etc.). However, the cost of battery energy storage is orders of magnitude higher than the cost of creating and...

Is any of the energy consumed in turning gaseous hydrogen into liquid hydrogen recoverable when it is taken out of storage, or does that process require an additional energy input—as with liquefied natural gas?

by admin | Mar 27, 2021 | Transportation and Storage

Some of the energy needed to compress or liquefy hydrogen can be recovered, but at additional capital...

Is any of the energy consumed in moving hydrogen into storage as a compressed gas recoverable when it is taken out of storage?

by admin | Mar 27, 2021 | Transportation and Storage

This is a possibility, especially for high pressure storage. However, a significant loss of energy occurs during compression in the form of heat that would have to be recoverable for efficient recovery of compression...

What are the capital costs associated with competing hydrogen storage methods?

by admin | Mar 27, 2021 | Transportation and Storage

Costs on an energy storage capacity basis ($/kWh) vary widely depending on the storage technology, quantity to be stored and whether it is mobile (e.g., in cars, ships, or aircraft) or stationary applications. For example, the incremental cost of storage at an...