energy storage breakthrough solid hydrogen explained green hydrogen is
recognized as one of the important ingredients for the future sustainable
energy mix because it is both clean and abundant however there is an unnoticed
but significant issue it's a gas having a low energy density per unit volume
this makes storage transportation and operation difficult and costly but what
if we could cheaply store hydrogen as a solid a promising invention from a
startup could help accelerate the energy transition it's so excellent that it's
been banned hey everyone how are you doing today before we proceed with this
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notification bell to get updates on our exciting content in today's video we
will reveal the energy storage breakthrough heavy-duty e-mobility
applications such as buses vehicles trains and ships rely heavily on
hydrogen this is because these large scale vehicles require an amount of
energy that batteries cannot give at this time on the other hand a fuel cell
does not need to be recharged like a battery as long as hydrogen is available
compared to batteries fuel cell electric vehicles fcevs have a larger driving
range and a shorter refilling time as a result hydrogen is an excellent fuel for
long distance travel however there is still an issue how can you safely and
affordably store a large amount of hydrogen on board the storage of
hydrogen as a gas necessitates high pressure containers which are both
expensive and difficult to keep secure you can also compress it and transform
it into a liquid however at around negative
252.8 degrees celsius or negative 423 degrees fahrenheit hydrogen begins to
boil and if you want to retain it in a liquid state you'll need to cool it down
and put it in a cryogenic tank which is pricey to maintain compared to storing a
liquid molecule solid storage of single atoms would pack more hydrogen into a
smaller space furthermore it is more cost effective
because this method does not require high pressure or cold temperatures
this would be a low-cost way to extend the range of hydrogen-powered electric
vehicles allowing them to compete with fossil-fueled vehicles and possibly even
battery electric vehicles that's why solid-state hydrogen storage
applications have gotten a lot of attention there are two ways to attach
hydrogen to a metallic molecule in most cases absorption is another option we're
talking about absorption which occurs when a hydrogen molecule or its
individual atoms form a gentle bond with a solid surface known as the absorbent
the hydrogen atoms pass through the surface and bind to the absorbance
interior structure in the situation in both circumstances you'll have a metal
hydride on the other hand plasma kinetics has come up with a somewhat
different solution this is a three-pronged zero carbon device that
does various jobs capture storage and transport according to their website
this pot of gold or hydrogen as the case may be appears to have a bigger energy
capacity and a lower cost than a lithium-ion battery it may also be
recharged in five minutes according to the business the hydrogen was absorbed
from the air onto a light-activated nanoscale film that is nine to ten times
flimsier than human hair because this hydrogen sponge can trap the gas at low
temperatures and pressures it's less expensive then all you need to do is
blaze a light on the film to get some hydrogen out that sounds incredible
doesn't it and perhaps a tad oversimplified let's try to obtain a
better understanding of this technology hold on a minute the question to ask
should be where did this concept originate plasma kinetics presented its
light-activated energy storage l-a-e-s technology to the us department of
energy in 2009 initially classified as transformational nevertheless they
changed their mentalities after a short time and labeled it as disruptive their
invention it appears supplies an energy source that is protected by us national
security as a result the u.s government held plasma kinetic patent until 2017
slowing their progress when the corporation learned that its business
activity was restricted by the international traffic and arms
regulations itar they were shocked in other words they won't be able to sell
their technology for missile fuel applications which was never their goal
in the first place so what's the big deal about plasma kinetics developed a
nanophotonic filter that collects hydrogen onto an internal graphite based
structure at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature
the system could harvest 99.99 pure hydrogen directly from smokestacks
and gas streams and solidify it in metric tons per day is that even
possible the secret to this incredible creation appears to be the substance
employed a multi-layer shape memory alloy sma is an alloy that recalls its
shape after it's been modified this material can usually be molded at low
temperatures and then heated back to its original shape while smas may appear to
be plastic they are actually a mixture of two metallic components such as
nickel and titanium mechanical actuators and medical stents are two major sma
applications you may find magnesium and plasma kinetics sma this alkaline earth
metal is also a key component of chlorophyll the photosynthetic pigment
utilized by plants that is why the substance used by the company interacts
with light this feature is the most important distinction when comparing
light activated hydrides to ordinary metal hydrides the second type of
material uses reversible absorption to connect hydrogen atoms to their solid
framework however it must be released at a
temperature of up to 200 degrees celsius or 392 degrees fahrenheit the item is
described as a movie projector or cd player by the company to release the
contents of a cassette canister or disk simply flash a laser light onto the
hydrogen filled film a special guest i'm referring to the hydrogen that has been
trapped that sounds fantastic but how does it function in practice during the
absorption cycle negatively charged spots within the film's nanopores
attract positively charged hydrogen atoms when a laser strikes the film the
light changes the polarity of the link from negative to positive releasing the
hydrogen atoms that is a significant advantage of their system the substance
is not heated during the desorption process as is the case with ordinary
metal hydrides hydrogen is currently produced through energy intensive and
high carbon technologies such as natural gas reforming or electrolysis as a
result plasma kinetic's zero carbon capture technique might have a
significant environmental impact on hydrogen generation the business hopes
to drive the implementation of heavy hydrogen-powered mobility applications
such as boats vehicles and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft
vtols by delivering a longer lasting yet lighter energy storage while hydrogen
powered passenger cars are unlikely to catch on in the same way that
battery-powered vehicles have the way this technology is expected to
function is that you buy a hydrogen-filled disk cartridge from a
convenience store it doesn't necessitate specific safety storage such as hydrogen
gas canisters but more on that later you return it when it's empty and exchange
it for a fully charged one it would normally take a few minutes to replace
out the cartridges in the vehicle the decarbonization of energy grids is
another big market segment because plasma kinetic system can turn green
hydrogen into even greener hydrogen the surplus hydrogen generated by renewable
powered electrolysis would be stored in the company's storage system green
hydrogen could be stored without the need for compression or liquefaction in
some cases the clean hydrogen can then be fed into fuel cells to be converted
back into green electricity as needed on overcast days or when the wind doesn't
blow this would fill the gaps in the clean power supply making our renewables
based grit more flexible and resilient because of their adaptability film
containing canisters can be built anywhere they are needed such as at a
wind farm they could be used as a low-cost backup storage system for rural
populations or as a transportable microgrid for disaster relief the
capture and storage of hydrogen seems very promising but what about the
distribution of hydrogen when it comes to distribution the plasma kinetic
storage system has a significant advantage in terms of safety as the
hydrogen is transported in a non-flammable condition this implies
that it can be sent by any route with no constraints however the most innovative
aspect of this illuminating hydrogen trap is that it eliminates the need for
sophisticated and expensive infrastructure such as pumping stations
and pipes to distribute compressed gas the technique that can be scaled up from
a single disc to a vast hydrogen library with ease
according to the company's pitch deck they can securely transport 20 000 tons
of hydrogen in one trip by loading their containers onto a single ship that is
enough energy to power 25 000 homes for a year but how does their hydrogen
storage technology compare with the competition when compared to lithium-ion
batteries light-activated hydrides appear to be superior in every way
plasma kinetics claims that its technology is 17 percent less expensive
and 30 percent lighter than lithium ion batteries for the same amount of energy
stored in addition to having a better energy density the light activated
storage unit on the other hand has an efficiency of up to 69 to 70 percent
which is slightly lower than high capacity batteries which have an
efficiency of between 69 to 70 percent and 89 to 90 percent when compared to
compressed gas systems the fight is more intense solid-state hydrogen containers
are significantly easier and safer to handle than compressed gas vessels
although being slightly heavier than carbon fiber tanks at roughly 700 bar 10
000 psi furthermore while plasma kinetic design has a lower energy density than
highly pressured storage its materials have a lower cost of energy using one of
their light activated hydrogen trucks instead of a compressed hydrogen-powered
vehicle according to the company's calculations would save twenty two
thousand five hundred dollars per year in fuel expenditures
this is due to the fact that the cost of solid state hydrogen per kilowatt hour
is half that of compressed hydrogen furthermore unlike the plasma kinetics
method a compressed gas hydrogen vehicle would require 2.6 million dollars worth
of recharging infrastructure per station we get it this technology is incredible
you say but what's the catch the only disadvantage according to the company's
founder is that you can't just plug your car in at home and charge it like a
traditional bev this is because the hydrogen must first be fed into a fuel
cell to be converted into power furthermore while the cartridge or film
can be reused up to 150 times the film is not endless
this is due to deuterium hydrogen's larger twin which fills the nanopores of
the substance the discs on the other hand are 100 percent recyclable and you
can even recover and sell the deterium to help defray the costs of recycling
hydrogen will play an important role in the energy transition
but only with feasible and effective storage technologies will we be able to
make the most of it this type of solid state technology appears to be the way
to go and plasma kinetics is a reassuring glow at the end of the tunnel
but what are your thoughts does this breakthrough seem too good to be true do
you believe this will give hydrogen the boost it needs to take off please let me
know in the comments section if this video was insightful for you then go on
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