Enabling large-scale hydrogen storage in porous media – the scientific challenges

Abstract: Expectations for energy storage are high but large-scale underground hydrogen storage in porous
media (UHSP) remains largely untested. This article identifies and discusses the scientific challenges of
hydrogen storage in porous media for safe and efficient large-scale energy storage to enable a global
hydrogen economy. To facilitate hydrogen supply on the scales required for a zero-carbon future, it
must be stored in porous geological formations, such as saline aquifers and depleted hydrocarbon
reservoirs. Large-scale UHSP offers the much-needed capacity to balance inter-seasonal discrepancies
between demand and supply, decouple energy generation from demand and decarbonise heating and
transport, supporting decarbonisation of the entire energy system. Despite the vast opportunity provided
by UHSP, the maturity is considered low and as such UHSP is associated with several uncertainties and
challenges. Here, the safety and economic impacts triggered by poorly understood key processes are
identified, such as the formation of corrosive hydrogen sulfide gas, hydrogen loss due to the activity of
microbes or permeability changes due to geochemical interactions impacting on the predictability of
hydrogen flow through porous media. The wide range of scientific challenges facing UHSP are outlined
to improve procedures and workflows for the hydrogen storage cycle, from site selection to storage site
operation. Multidisciplinary research, including reservoir engineering, chemistry, geology and
microbiology, more complex than required for CH4 or CO2 storage is required in order to implement
the safe, efficient and much needed large-scale commercial deployment of UHSP

Angaben zum Objekt

• Standort: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Umfang: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: Englisch
• Anmerkungen: Energy & environmental science. - 14, 2 (2021) , 853-864, ISSN: 1754-5706

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wo): Freiburg
• (wer): Universität
• (wann): 2024
• Urheber: Heinemann, Niklas ; Alcalde, Juan ; Miocic, Johannes M. ; Hangx, Suzanne J. T. ; Kallmeyer, Jens ; Ostertag-Henning, Christian ; Hassanpouryouzband, Aliakbar ; Thaysen, Eike M. ; Strobel, Gion ; Schmidt-Hattenberger, Cornelia ; Edlmann, Katriona ; Wilkinson, Mark D. ; Bentham, Michelle ; Stuart Haszeldine, R ; Carbonell, Ramon Bertran ; Rudloff, Alexander

Weitere Informationen

• DOI: 10.1039/d0ee03536j
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:25-freidok-2474609
• Rechteinformation: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 14.08.2025, 10:54 MESZ