Hydrogen Storage for Renewable Energy Integration: A Techno-Economic Comparison with Ammonia as Hydrogen Carrier

The global fight against climate change is tied to the development of contemporary energy policies, which have established ambitious targets to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate the transition to a sustainable energy system. Renewable energy sources are pivotal to this transition, but their intermittent nature poses significant challenges. In this regard, the development of long-term storage technologies has emerged as a crucial solution. The ability to store excess energy and utilize it at later times is fundamental in managing the fluctuations in renewable generation, thereby reducing the necessity to rely on conventional power plants. Moreover, energy storage has the potential to address not only temporal but also spatial challenges, facilitating the transfer of energy from areas with surplus production to areas with insufficient renewable production due to unfavourable weather conditions. Currently, chemical storage using hydrogen appears to be the most promising solution to meet these requirements. Nevertheless, the technical and economic challenges associated with hydrogen storage and transportation necessitate the exploration of alternative solutions. One promising solution is using ammonia (NH3) as a hydrogen carrier. The utilization of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier can offer several advantages [1]. Ammonia has a hydrogen content of 17.8% in weight, is very stable at ambient conditions and allows for much less severe storage conditions than compressed hydrogen. Moreover, it possesses a lower flammability and volatility compared to hydrogen, enhancing safety. The infrastructure for handling and transporting ammonia is already well-developed, facilitating its use as an energy carrier on an industrial scale