Green Hydrogen Storage via Bio-Battery

The fight against climate change has expedited the search for carbon-neutral energy sources to drive the energy transition. Green hydrogen, which is produced from water with the help of renewable energies such as wind or solar power, has emerged as one of the promising solutions. However, researchers have run into roadblocks while transporting and storing this highly explosive gas, and viable chemical and biological solutions are being explored. 

A team of microbiologists from Goethe University Frankfurt has uncovered a novel solution. Acetogenic bacteria that reside in the deep sea feed on carbon dioxide, which they metabolize in the presence of hydrogen to form formic acid.  This reversible process can be exploited for the storage of green hydrogen. In preliminary tests, the system ran quite stably for 2 weeks. For municipal or domestic hydrogen storage, a system is desirable where the bacteria first store hydrogen and then release it again in the same bioreactor and function as stable as possible over a long period.

Such developments in battery storage technology can bolster the energy transition. To be effective, the shift to green energy needs to be focused on the two sectors where carbon-intense infrastructure predominates. These are power and transport - power represented 40% of global carbon emissions in 2018 and transport 23%.

The energy transition is imperative if we are to reach carbon zero, not only in the clean energy industry but as a contribution to tackling climate change as a wider issue. Optimizing energy consumed is equally vital during the energy transition.

ENPOSS aids this transition by the use of power-saving device FORCE, which saves up to 10-15% of energy, while simultaneously reducing your carbon footprint by a sizable amount.