• About
    • Which Energy Mix is this?
  • Climate News Network Archive
  • Contact
Celebrating our 1,000th edition. The climate news you need
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
No Result
View All Result
  FEATURED
BREAKING: U.S. Senate Passes Historic $369B Climate Package August 7, 2022
Researchers Point To ‘Dangerously Unexplored’ Risk of Global Climate Catastrophe August 2, 2022
Koch Network Pressures Manchin, Sinema as Advocates Praise ‘Game Changing’ Climate Deal August 2, 2022
Coastal GasLink Cost Skyrockets 70% to $11.2B August 2, 2022
Ottawa Releases Regulatory ‘Frame’ for Net-Zero Grid by 2035 August 2, 2022
Next
Prev

MIT Study Sees Hydrogen for Grid Backup, Despite Emissions Impact of Gas Feedstocks

September 30, 2021
Reading time: 3 minutes

TomFawls/Wikimedia Commons

TomFawls/Wikimedia Commons

3
SHARES
 

Hydrogen will be a competitive source of back-up power for renewable sources like wind and solar, according to a new study by the MIT Energy Initiative (MITei).

Power storage and back-up generation will become increasing important in providing back-up peaking power as variable and intermittent renewables account for a growing share of power generation. So MIT researchers conducted a technical and economic review of power supply options for the California grid, including lithium-ion batteries, green hydrogen, and blue hydrogen, TechXplore reports.

The study modelled the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for back-up options, including converting existing natural gas-fired to hydrogen to meet peak demand for electricity. The conclusion: “Hydrogen can be a more cost-effective alternative to lithium-ion batteries for peaking operations on a power grid,” said MIT research scientist and study co-author Emre Gençer. 

“If there is a place for hydrogen in the cases we analyzed, that suggests there is a promising role for hydrogen to play in the energy transition” to a decarbonized power system, Gençer added.

At a cost or $2,400 per megawatt-hour, green hydrogen created from electrolysis would be cheaper than lithium-ion battery storage, at $3,000/MWh. Blue hydrogen, made from fossil fuel feedstock, would be cheaper still, at $1,560/MWh. But the authors note there are “concerns about the supply of blue hydrogen and the lesser carbon benefit as compared to green hydrogen.”

Centralized power grids require backup power to make up for short-term interruptions in renewable generation, like a lack of wind or sun over a period of hours. Backup is also needed for longer shortfalls, such as low hydropower generation during a heat wave with a high cooling load. The study notes that lithium-ion battery storage is technically suited for temporary rather than extended shortfalls in generation. 

The authors acknowledge the economic and political challenges of ramping up hydrogen production for peaking power at scale, including the need for much higher electricity prices that reflect the cost of carbon. Converting natural gas plants to hydrogen is costly, and conversions are unlikely until a hydrogen energy infrastructure is established for other uses, like manufacturing and transportation. 

Blue hydrogen has been touted by industry advocates as a means of reducing emissions. However, recent research by Cornell University’s Robert Howarth found that producing hydrogen from natural gas and adding carbon capture to the process has a 20% higher greenhouse gas footprint than simply burning gas or oil for heat. A major and often overlooked factor is the release of fugitive emissions of methane, which is about 80 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year span. Further, industry claims of permanent carbon storage are “optimistic and unproven,” the researchers note.

Hydrogen, however it is created, is a highly flammable and low-density gas, making transportation from source to end use an additional challenge. 



in Clean Electricity Grid, Climate & Society, Demand & Distribution, Ending Emissions, Energy / Carbon Pricing & Economics, Fossil Fuels, Hydrogen, Hydropower, Jurisdictions, Methane, Renewable Energy, Shale & Fracking, Solar, United States, Wind

The latest climate news and analysis, direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Related Posts

openthegovernment.org
United States

BREAKING: U.S. Senate Passes Historic $369B Climate Package

August 8, 2022
280
jasonwoodhead23/flickr
Energy Politics

Fossils Dismiss Federal Emissions Cap as ‘Aggressive’, ‘Unrealistic’

August 8, 2022
135
Early stages of construction on the Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor in France
Nuclear

Failing French Nuclear Plants Drive Up Electricity Costs as Heat Waves Cut Production

August 8, 2022
307

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Trending Stories

Joseph Brent/Flickr

Green Hydrogen Will Cost Less than Fossil-Fuelled ‘Blue’, Shell CEO Admits

August 7, 2022
590
openthegovernment.org

BREAKING: U.S. Senate Passes Historic $369B Climate Package

August 8, 2022
280
Early stages of construction on the Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor in France

Failing French Nuclear Plants Drive Up Electricity Costs as Heat Waves Cut Production

August 8, 2022
307
David Wilson/wikimedia commons

U.S. State Treasurers Use Public Office to Thwart Climate Action, Investigation Finds

August 7, 2022
133
/MaxPixels

‘Substantial Damage’, No Injuries as Freight Train Hits Wind Turbine Blade

May 25, 2022
5.6k
Green Energy Futures/flickr

Solar Shingle Buying Guide Lays Out Options for Curious Homeowners

August 7, 2022
146

Recent Posts

jasonwoodhead23/flickr

Fossils Dismiss Federal Emissions Cap as ‘Aggressive’, ‘Unrealistic’

August 8, 2022
135
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Canadians Share Stories of Fear, Vulnerability from 2021 Heat Dome

August 7, 2022
68
Brian Jeffery Beggerly/Wikimedia Commons

China’s Latest Renewables Plan Could Bridge Global 1.5°C Gap, Expert Says

August 9, 2022
139
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Pacific Region/Wikimedia Commons

Australia Bans New Coal Mine to Protect Great Barrier Reef, Faces Call for Full Moratorium

August 7, 2022
78
The Come Up Show/flickr

Celebrities, Influencers See Backlash for Private Jet Emissions

August 7, 2022
63
alexxxis/Pixabay

Cambridge University to Rename BP Institute Following Student Backlash

August 7, 2022
48
Next Post
EARTHWORKS/Flickr

SoCalGas to Pay $1.8B for Aliso Canyon Methane Leak

The Energy Mix

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Copyright
  • Cookie Policy

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}