In a 15th July 2021 article at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) Spectrum magazine web site, Maria Gallucci reports
on a Sydney-based company,
Lavo, that makes hydrogen storage
systems for utility and residential markets.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Maria Gallucci, IEEE Spectrum, 15 July 2021
A novel project in Australia aims to harness the sun’s energy in two different ways: by storing it and by using it to produce green hydrogen.
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The system builds on years of research at the University of New South Wales, which patented the hydrogen-metal compound—or metal hydride—technology in 2019. Here’s how it works: Solar panels feed electricity into the unit and charge a 5 kilowatt-hour lithium battery. Once the battery is fully charged, any additional electricity runs through an electrolyzer, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen is released into the air, while the hydrogen flows into the metal canisters. Inside the red-top tubes, hydrogen is stored in a solid form by combining it with a fibrous metal alloy made from common minerals.
“Our long-duration storage can act as a solar sponge to absorb...to reduce pressure and add stability to the grid,” Yu said.
The system also works in reverse, converting the solid metal hydride back into hydrogen, which then runs through a fuel cell and supplies electricity to the grid. Yu said the systems can deliver more than 20,000 charge cycles, giving the components an expected lifetime of 30 years—about as long as a solar farm lasts. Alternately, the metal hydride canisters can be plucked out of the system and placed on a truck or cargo ship for export.
Stored at room temperature and low pressures, the canisters are safer and easier to transport than hydrogen that’s stored in pressurized tanks or converted into ammonia, according to Kondo-Francois Aguey-Zinsou, who has worked on the Lavo technology and leads the university’s Hydrogen Energy Research Center in Sydney.
Lavo began testing its first prototype at the research center last year. That unit is smaller than the ones that will operate at solar farms; instead of a shipping container, it’s about the size of a double-door refrigerator. The technology firm has started marketing its more compact version for use in homes and businesses. With a storage capacity of about 40 kilowatt-hours, it purportedly stores three times as much energy as Tesla’s Powerwall 2.
Yu said Lavo initially planned to commercialize its utility-scale units first. But manufacturing delays and other disruptions due to the Covid-19 outbreak spurred Lavo to pivot its focus to the home storage market. As the company fills orders for the fridge-sized systems, it will also be developing the larger hydrogen batteries to roll out alongside solar farms in southeastern Australia.
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Full story, pictures here :-
https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise...s-solar-energy
Lavo corporate web site :-
https://lavo.com.au/
UNSW green hydrogen storage technology & Sydney company takes on Tesla PowerWall
