Many MindedModeling study finds hydrogen turbines could store solar energy for about 62 cents a kilogram
Australian researchers compared two ways of turning stored hydrogen back into power when the sun is low: fuel cells and hydrogen gas turbines. Their modeling found turbines could need less capital spending than fuel cells. The levelized cost of hydrogen storage for the turbine case came out at about AUD 0.90 per kilogram, or $0.62. The paper, published in Applied Energy, is titled 'Feasibility assessment of solar-driven underground hydrogen storage through integrated surface and subsurface modelling'.
The assessed system spans hydrogen injection, geological storage, purification and pipeline delivery. The headline figure assumes 10% porosity, 50 mD permeability, a 30-year project life and a 7% discount rate. The trade-offs are real. Higher permeability helps injectivity and recovery but can raise purification and compression needs. Lower porosity can improve gas displacement but demands higher injection pressures and costlier equipment.
This matters because cheap long-duration storage is what turns solar from a daytime source into a dependable one. If underground hydrogen can carry surplus energy through low-sun stretches at this kind of cost, firm renewable electricity gets cheaper and easier to rely on.
The caveat is large. This is a model, not a operating plant, and the number holds only under those assumptions. Real sites will differ in geology and costs. The same hydrogen roundup showed mixed commercial signals: Air Products booked about $3.2 billion in pre-tax charges, mainly from exiting projects including a Louisiana clean energy complex and an Arizona green hydrogen plant. Meanwhile Germany awarded 11 hydrogen-ready gas plants totaling about 5.1 GW, and Nippon Steel ran 100% hydrogen direct reduced iron production for over 300 continuous hours. Watch for field-scale validation of the storage costs.
Source: pv magazine