Batteries and hydrogen play a crucial role in creating a cleaner and smarter tomorrow. They are significant because they can both convert electricity into chemical energy and vice versa. They are ready to transform the energy industry, but they differ in their promises and characteristics. That is why batteries and hydrogen stand out as two promising technologies.
As much as battery storage technology is important in transitioning towards zero emissions, there is a bigger role for hydrogen as a long-duration storage solution, ensuring energy security, as well as enabling the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors. In the end it is about heat and how you feed it.
Both batteries and hydrogen have been creating a buzz and heated discussions for the future of energy solutions. Although batteries are more developed and efficient at the moment, hydrogen shows a lot of potential as well.
Hydrogen can be used in areas where other energy storage technologies cannot easily be deployed. It can be produced using electrolysers that split water into hydrogen and oxygen for storage or transportation to be used at another location.
Even at current prices, they become a harder sell if the capacity required is more than four to five hours. Hydrogen has an energy density of 39kWh/kg, which means that 1kg of hydrogen contains 130 times more energy than 1kg of batteries, meaning lots of energy can be stored with hydrogen and nit weigh a lot.
Hydrogen is viewed as a potential winner for long haul and heavy transport use, such as road freight or applications as a substitute fuel, because of its lighter weight compared to batteries. Wider use of hydrogen as a fuel will play an important role in making the transition to renewable energy possible. Batteries also will play an important role in this transition.