Source: Energy & Management Powernews, June 14, 2022
Up to 12.8 billion euros will be required to develop the hydrogen storage capacities needed for the energy transition. This is the result of a study.
The study "Storing hydrogen - this much is safe" was prepared as part of a cooperation involving the German Natural Gas, Petroleum and Geoenergy Association (BVEG), the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water (DVGW) and the Initiative Energies Speichern (INES). The study analyzed the technical possibilities of adapting today's gas storage facilities to the use of hydrogen. The study also looks at the costs and expansion of storage options.
According to the study, today's gas storage facilities can be converted to store 32 billion kWh. Capacities for more than 40 billion kWh would have to be newly created, explained Hagen Bültemeier of the Gas Technology Institute (DBI), which played a leading role in preparing the study. Basically suitable for hydrogen, he said, are cavern storage facilities, where only plant components need to be adapted. They have a total capacity of 15.1 billion m3 in Germany. The situation is different for pore storage facilities: Here, it is assumed that only four out of 16 can be used. They account for 8.3 billion m³.
Frank Gröschl, head of technology and innovation management at DVGW, emphasized the special importance of hydrogen for the climate change. To succeed, he said, it is necessary to use imports and all forms of generation, to make the natural gas infrastructure fit for hydrogen, as well as the application technologies, i.e. to convert plants from natural gas to hydrogen use.
The study calculates costs of up to 12.8 billion euros for the construction of new gas storage facilities and the adaptation of existing ones. It is based on the assumption that a capacity of around 2 billion kWh will have to be provided by 2030 and around 73 billion kWh by 2050. The figures are based on long-term scenarios of the German Ministry of Economics. The calculation turns out to be cheaper if the pore storage facilities were to be left connected to the gas grid and used for hydrogen production by means of pyrolysis.
"The costs for new construction and transformation of gas storage facilities are hardly significant in view of the anticipated total costs of the energy turnaround," explained Ines managing director Sebastian Bleschke at the presentation of the study. Nevertheless, he said, the challenges for the storage industry are great, so support from policymakers is needed. He called for funding instruments to trigger investments. In addition, long-term, viable concepts for the markets would have to be developed.
The study "Storing hydrogen - that much is certain" can be found on the BVEG website.
Author: Günter Drewnitzky
Accessibility
Language
