As we strive to reduce the world’s carbon footprint, scientists have been working diligently to develop hydrogen as a clean energy source that could curb our dependence on fossil fuels.
However, a major hurdle in the widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel cells has been its storage for future use. This is where an unexpected solution comes in – coal.
Recent studies have found that coal may represent a potential way to store large quantities of hydrogen gas. In fact, coal may serve as a hydrogen battery, much like we store electrical energy in conventional batteries for future use.
The process of inserting hydrogen gas into coal and extracting it back out is known as hydrogenation and dehydrogenation, respectively.
Using coal as a medium for hydrogen storage could address some of the major challenges facing the clean energy industry, particularly the intermittent nature of renewable power sources.
This breakthrough technology could help provide grid stability by storing excess renewable energy during times of low demand and releasing it when demand peaks. This has the potential to provide a reliable, continuous supply of clean energy.
Moreover, coal has some economic benefits over conventional means of hydrogen storage.
Coal is a widely available, low-cost, and stable storage medium, which means that less expensive infrastructure would be required for hydrogen storage facilities. This technology has reached an important landmark, and research is ongoing to scale it up.
Coal may represent an unexpected, yet promising solution to the challenge of storing hydrogen for future use in a clean energy economy. The development of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation technology could help address many of the challenges facing the industry.
With more research, we could see a significant shift towards clean, reliable, and abundant energy with the use of hydrogen batteries made possible by coal.
Edited by Zeng Han-Jun
Written by Juliana Rodriguez
Terra Link Research 