Does cheap storage hold the key to H2 adoption?
In the quest to reduce hydrogen costs, one crucial aspect is often overlooked: the price of storing it. With many commonly used calculations excluding storage and transportation from the estimates, experts are calling for more transparency on this front.
For example, the levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH) metric, which evaluates the total expenses involved in producing hydrogen throughout its entire lifecycle, does not include expenses related to the transport or processing of hydrogen for end-use applications. However, it is widely used in the industry to make price comparisons between the various colours.
Yet, production only accounts for 15% of the final cost for the consumer, according to a 2019 study of hydrogen refuelling stations in California by the Argonne National Laboratory. Around 50% is attributed to refuelling and the remainder to delivery. Looking at the breakdown of refuelling, storage accounted for 20% of the expense. (…)
