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Andújar, J.M.;  Segura, F.;  Rey, J.;  Vivas, F.J. Batteries vs Hydrogen Storage: Complementary or Substitute. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/26832 (accessed on 29 March 2024).
Andújar JM,  Segura F,  Rey J,  Vivas FJ. Batteries vs Hydrogen Storage: Complementary or Substitute. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/26832. Accessed March 29, 2024.
Andújar, José Manuel, Francisca Segura, Jesús Rey, Francisco José Vivas. "Batteries vs Hydrogen Storage: Complementary or Substitute" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/26832 (accessed March 29, 2024).
Andújar, J.M.,  Segura, F.,  Rey, J., & Vivas, F.J. (2022, September 02). Batteries vs Hydrogen Storage: Complementary or Substitute. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/26832
Andújar, José Manuel, et al. "Batteries vs Hydrogen Storage: Complementary or Substitute." Encyclopedia. Web. 02 September, 2022.
Batteries vs Hydrogen Storage: Complementary or Substitute
Edit

Batteries and hydrogen storage technologies are treated as complementary technologies in some cases, but in other ones they are considered opposed technologies. 

energy storage energy capacity gravimetric and volumetric density hydrogen storage method battery hydrogen technical comparison

1. Introduction

It has long been accepted that the future of energy production will not rely on the fossil fuels used today, and the international scientific community is trying to find a sustainable solution to this problem [1,2]. However, production of energy is only half of the equation. How is energy demand guaranteed when production is lower than demand? How is it accessed safely and efficiently? For intermittent renewable energy sources (RES), such as wind and solar energy (which are mainly weather-dependent), it is vital to store the energy excess to be used in deficit situations [1].
Throughout the existence of humanity, there have been many different ways to store energy—from wood (to be burned) to batteries and from pseudocapacitors to hydrogen storage technologies [2]. Which one is the most useful? It often depends on its purpose, and on the consumer preferences. For example, some societies prefer gas stoves to electric ones because of the way food is cooked. Others prefer electric ones because the energy comes from a cleaner source. Then, regarding batteries and hydrogen, although batteries are suitable for small devices, because they can be made to whatever size is necessary, they are not a great option for mobility applications, due to the long recharging time (around hours), versus the few minutes needed by a hydrogen vehicle to be refuelled up.
On the other hand, it can be asserted that, in the conventional path of energy production, transmission and distribution, energy storage systems (ESS) are crucial, Figure 1.
Figure 1. Conventional path of utility energy storage.
However, schemes of one-way power flow (with a centralised model) are becoming obsolete, contrary to the model of smart grid, more interactive for the consumers and easier to accommodate the ever-increasing number of ESS. Distributed generation systems, in which it is necessary a bidirectional relationship between customers and owners, are becoming more significant because customers are requesting for a better quality service (with a reduction of the number of blackouts) [3,4]. Those new systems, in which energy production takes place at points close to the place where the energy is consumed, are an opportunity to achieve greater integration of different ESS. Figure 2 and Figure 3 present a classification of different ESS based on nature and mature of technology, respectively.
Figure 2. Energy Storage Technologies: Classification according to nature of technology. CAES: Compressed Air Energy Storage. SMES: Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage.
Figure 3. Energy Storage Technologies: Classification according to mature technology.
The choice of the best ESS will depend on the service that is being looked for, because each technology has unique properties that make it optimal for certain services [5]. Table 1 shows the advantages and drawbacks of the different ESS presented in Figure 2 and Figure 3.
Table 1. Advantages and drawbacks of different ESS.
Technology Advantages Drawbacks
Hydro pumped [6]
-
Low operating costs per energy unit.
-
Available for long-term storage.
-
Fast response.
-
High energy storage capacity.
-
Very high investment costs.
-
Environmental issues.
-
Geographical and topographical limitations.
CAES [6]
-
Large energy storage capacity.
-
High lifetime.
-
Lower cost per kW than hydro pumped.
-
Originally, non-environmentally friendly.
-
Geographical restrictions to select underground reservoirs where the air is pressurised.
Ultracapacitors [6,7]
-
High efficiency.
-
Low environmental impact.
-
High lifetime.
-
Medium capacity of storage.
-
High specific power.
-
Used in grid systems to stabilise them during peak demands.
-
High costs.
-
Low specific energy.
Flywheels [6]
-
Environmentally friendly.
-
High power and specific energy.
-
Low maintenance cost.
-
High life span.
-
High efficiency (85–90%).
-
No temperature control needed.
-
High costs.
-
Short discharge time.
-
Low specific energy.
-
Mechanical stress and fatigue.
SMES [6]
-
High efficiency (~95%).
-
High power capacity.
-
Environmentally friendly.
-
Fast response time.
-
Need of continuous cooling.
-
High investment and operation costs.
-
Temperature sensitive.
SynGas storage (CO+H2+CO2+ minority gases)
[8]
-
Key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions if carbon capture is included in reforming process.
-
High specific energy.
-
Low volumetric density.
-
High costs.
-
Restricted to stationary applications.
Batteries [6]
-
Widely used.
-
Can be used in devices of different sizes (from mobile phones to electric vehicles).
-
Slow charging process.
-
Low specific energy.
Hydrogen
storage [9]
-
Hydrogen produced via renewable powered electrolysis plays a key role for greenhouse gas reduction.
-
High specific energy.
-
Quick charging process.
-
Low volumetric density.
-
Variable gravimetric density, depending on the storage option.
Information
Subjects: Energy & Fuels
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