A small town in central Utah is set to get a new underground “battery” that will store hydrogen as a renewable energy source. According to The New York Times, developers are excavating two caverns as deep as the Empire State Building in a natural salt formation near Delta, Utah. These caverns, which are slated to be completed next year, will be able to store hydrogen gas.
Hydrogen will be produced nearby using a method known as electrolysis
Hydrogen will be produced nearby using a method known as electrolysis. This will be accomplished by using excess solar and wind power throughout the spring and fall months, when energy demand is low. Then it can be stored until peak energy demand occurs in the summer, at that time, it would be burned at a power plant as a blend of hydrogen and natural gas.
Although hydrogen combustion does not emit greenhouse gases, it is uncertain how environmentally friendly the new plant will be. The amount of pollution produced depends on the hydrogen/natural gas ratio used.
Nonetheless, the new facility, which replaces a coal plant, will help clean up the air for surrounding residents. According to the US Energy Information Administration, exposure to pollution from coal combustion causes respiratory diseases, neurological and developmental impairment, and lung disease.
Investing in sustainable energy sources, such as hydrogen created from renewable energy, is also critical to slowing our planet’s overheating. While the combustion of hydrogen produces no global warming pollution, coal, oil, and gas are the major sources, accounting for more than 75% of global warming pollution and almost 90% of all carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, according to the United Nations.
Hydrogen generation, if powered by coal or gas, can emit pollutants. When solar or wind energy is used to produce the fuel, it transforms into a clean storage resource, or “green hydrogen,” as it will happen in Utah.
Green hydrogen, as an alternative energy source, is gaining popularity in the United States. For example, a Texas business intends to produce green hydrogen using wind and sunlight as energy sources for electrolysis. The plant will be the largest of its kind in the United States.
Biden administration just proposed $7 billion in funding for hydrogen projects across the country
Meanwhile, the Biden administration just proposed $7 billion in funding for hydrogen projects across the country to help jump-start production.
While the Utah initiative appears to be promising, it is not without obstacles. According to Ilissa Ocko, an Environmental Defense Fund scientist, reaching 100% hydrogen in the next 20 years will almost certainly necessitate massive facility modifications or entire rebuilding
“The costs can very easily add up when you make the adjustments that you need to the infrastructure,” she told the publication. “There are so many complicating factors here that can make it very easily turn into something that is not beneficial to the climate.”
Still, “It’s a massive amount of storage,” Jigar Shah, head of the Department of Energy’s loan program office, told The Times, noting that the plant will complement other renewable energy projects in the West that together can produce surplus electricity in the spring and fall. “This is a great way to deal with all that excess supply.”
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