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.
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.
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.
Numerous nations have invested considerable resources in advancing hydrogen energy and fuel cells (Hosseini and Wahid, 2020). In fuel cells, hydrogen and oxygen are utilized to generate electrical power. There are various types of fuel cells with different methods of operation and performance.
The advantage of hydrogen as a fuel for electric vehicles is that it can be charged faster than batteries, in the order of minutes equivalent to gasoline cars. Also, the higher energy density than batteries means that it can drive much longer ranges and pack more energy in the same space than battery packs.
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.