Guiding the down-selection of hydrogen storage technologies in the context of backup power systems

A complex portfolio of hydrogen storage materials is currently under investigation for their potential use in self-sufficient, long duration energy storage (LDES) systems. However, variations in storage system design for even the same carrier material adds noise at the system-design level that makes it hard to derive material-level technical targets, let alone a “winner” material. Herein, we combine techno-economic and Monte Carlo analysis in a cross-comparison approach to identify the probability of low-cost hydrogen storage for LDES using: sorbents, metal hydrides, carriers, or compressed gas storage. Certain conditions allow any of these technologies to achieve the lowest levelised cost of storage (LCOS), and yet results suggest that 1,4-butanediol, involving a liquid phase hydrogenation and vapor phase dehydrogenation design, offers the highest probability of low LCOS at $0.19/kWhe ($6.40/kg), in comparison to 170 bar compressed gas at $0.24/kWhe ($8.04/kg) at the 10 MW scale (10-100 hours). Such insights are critical for guiding material selection for specific deployment locations and markets, and offer the detail necessary to consider new aspects of storage, from job creation, to safety, to operational complexity.