H2Tech - Q3 2022 - 18

SPECIAL FOCUS PATHWAYS FOR SUSTAINABLE H2
Further, there is an impact on energy efficiency at every
stage of H2
's journey from conversion from water to H2
gasification
and storage, and back to water when burned to produce
power. However, this is not uncommon for energy carriers
(e.g., gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, batteries and elemental H2
). In
each case, energy must be expended to produce an end product,
even if the end product is an energy or fuel source. Even
solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation-roughly 20% efficient
now-required advances in technology, engineering
and manufacturing to get to a price point in the 2010s that
would make solar PV systems cost-competitive with fossil resources.
That is the path for H2
Another capability H2
to follow.
offers that is unique to other storage
technologies is its potential for direct uses-e.g., as a
feedstock in the hard-to-carbon-abate cement, steel, chemical
and petrochemical industries; as a zero-carbon fuel in
fuel-cell vehicles; and in the creation of synthetic fuels (i.e.,
" efuels " ) ranging from methanol to gasoline to sustainable
aviation fuel. This makes H2
even more valuable by enabling
multiple revenue streams. It could be that, by mid-century, H2
will be as ubiquitous in society as potable water, electricity
and the internet.
Intermountain Power Agency project. In Utah (U.S.), the
Intermountain Power Agency's (IPA's) Intermountain Power
Project (IPP) Renewal Project stands as a potential case
study for a long-duration H2
energy storage project. In 2020,
the IPA selected the author's company to serve as the owner's
engineer on the project, which stands as one of the earliest
installations of combustion-turbine technology designed to
use a high percentage of green H2
.
The IPP Renewal Project involves retiring IPA's original
coal-fueled facility, which the author's company designed in
the early 1980s, and replacing it with an 840-MW naturalgas-fueled
combined-cycle power plant by 2025. The project's
two single-shaft, advanced-class, combustion turbine
combined-cycle units will be capable of blending 30% green
H2
H2
at startup, with plans to increase H2
utilization to 100%
by 2045.
Perhaps more intriguing is that the IPP Renewal Project
envisions the development of long-duration H2
storage in
geological salt caverns that are adjacent to the power plant,
which would result in a fully dispatchable resource capable
of providing highly reliable and resilient power on demand.
Making H2
energy storage a reality. Now that it has been
can offer
energy storage technologies forward?
determined that iron and zinc batteries offer good mediumduration
energy storage (up to 100 hr) and that H2
the potential for unlimited amounts of long-duration energy
storage, the question comes down to this: What needs to happen
to move H2
First and foremost, H2
energy storage projects must be
demonstrated and then scaled, ultimately with the support of
power utilities and power generation providers. Demonstrating
that H2
thus, lower the cost. The green H2
technology can scale will help move it forward and,
hub at the Advanced Clean
Energy Storage Project in Delta, Utah, will be a true test of
this in the marketplace. The project would interconnect green
H2
production, storage and distribution in the western U.S.,
18 Q3 2022 | H2-Tech.com
helping to decarbonize multiple industries, including power,
transportation and manufacturing.
True adoption will also require regulatory changes and
government incentives. The more the U.S. government can
incentivize utilities to start a clean transition to long-duration
energy storage, the more successful the transition will be. This
is already happening with renewable energy. According to the
author's company's 2021 Electric Report, which is backed by a
survey of nearly 500 U.S. power sector stakeholders, 56% of respondents
said that government incentives or policies are driving
renewable energy investments in their region. The same
will likely hold true for long-duration energy storage.
Efforts to advance long-duration energy storage are underway.
The U.S. DOE is actively working on advancing longduration
energy storage technologies. In 2021, the agency
launched its Energy Earthshots Initiative, which is designed
to accelerate breakthroughs of more abundant, affordable
and reliable clean energy solutions within the decade.
The first two Energy Earthshots projects seek to lower the
costs of two promising clean energy technologies within the
next decade: the Hydrogen Shot project seeks to lower the cost
of clean H2
by 80% to $1/kg, while the Long-Duration Storage
Shot project aims to cut the cost of grid-scale, long-duration
energy storage by 90%. Programs such as these will be critical
in helping to advance long-duration energy storage.
The path forward. The global energy marketplace is hungry
for long-duration energy storage technologies as renewables
continue to grow and become the leading contributor to
electricity generation. While the headlines make it sound as
though these technologies are ready to go tomorrow, the industry
is still in a period of exploration and development as
the market tries to understand where the technology stands today.
It is also working to corral the rollercoaster of expectations
around energy storage options, which are many.
H2
is not a " today " technology, but it is coming down the
pike, and when it does, the entire energy game will change.
With viable medium-duration energy storage options (such
as iron and zinc batteries) on the table right now, stakeholders
would be wise to be looking at methods to create flexible, complementary
systems that can evolve as technologies advance.
In the next 5 yr-7 yr, expect to see a rapid increase in the
viability, scalability and availability of medium- and long-duration
storage solutions if the market remembers to avoid the
worst mistake possible: getting enamored by one technology
and not considering alternative and successor technologies.
Long-duration energy storage is a key that will help unlock
global decarbonization. With traditional and emerging battery
energy storage on the table (including H2
energy storage), society
will soon arrive in a future where electricity can be both
generated and stored, and then balanced and managed according
to demand-thus enabling tomorrow's net-zero future.
JASON ROWELL is an Associate Vice President for Black & Veatch who leads
the company's new energy solutions.
JONATHAN CRISTIANI is a Bioenergy and H2 Technology Manager
at Black & Veatch.
FRANK JAKOB is the Director of Advanced Energy Storage Solutions
at Black & Veatch.
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H2Tech - Q3 2022

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