Techno-Economic Analysis of a Physisorption-Based Hydrogen Storage System

Abstract

Alternative long-term storage of energy is becoming increasingly important due to climate change. Hydrogen-based storage technologies have long been considered promising alternatives to batteries. However, the different forms of hydrogen storage have various disadvantages and are still comparatively expensive. As an alternative, this paper deals with a new concept for hydrogen storage, the Cryogenic Flux Capacitor (CFC). It is intended as an intermediate between high-pressure and liquid storage to exploit the advantages and reduce the disadvantages. This paper ranks the CFC technology against the others. For this purpose, it investigates the economic viability and the specific application as a grid-connected system. A complete system from hydrogen production and storage to conversion into electrical energy is considered. In detail, the costs for storage and storage time are compared, and the size scaling of a CFC-based system as a grid-connected system is examined. The Levelized Costs of Energy (LCOE) are calculated and compared as a benchmark. It turns out that a CFC-based storage system also requires a tremendous amount of energy in the form of liquid nitrogen and the associated operational costs for cooling down the hydrogen. Nevertheless, the overall operating costs are between high-pressure and liquid hydrogen storage. Most surprising is the LCOE, which, at 0.192 $/kWh–0.234 $/kWh, is well within the range of the other storage technologies. As a grid-connected storage system, CFC technology can be used as a small- to a medium-scale energy storage system, e.g., to serve smaller neighborhoods.