1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

World-first home hydrogen battery

Discussion in 'Fuel Cell Vehicles' started by bwilson4web, Jan 23, 2021.

  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,660
    15,661
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Source: World-first home hydrogen battery stores 3x the energy of a Powerwall 2

    Then there's the efficiency. Batteries store and release energy with minimal losses; for every kilowatt-hour your rooftop array generates and sticks into a battery, you'll get back more than 90 percent of it. But the process of generating hydrogen by electrolysis using a proton exchange membrane is only about 80 percent efficient, so you lose 20 percent straight away. And at the other end, you'll lose somewhere around half of what you've got stored in the process of converting the hydrogen back into energy through a fuel cell.

    So not only does it take more energy to fill up, a 40-kWh hydrogen energy storage system might start looking a lot like a 20-kWh system when you actually try to get the energy back out of it. The Lavo folks say this system's "round-trip efficiency is above 50 percent," so taking them at their word, you're still tossing out roughly as much energy as you're keeping.    ​

    Fuel cell efficiency is terrible compared to battery based systems.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #1 bwilson4web, Jan 23, 2021
  2. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
    20,171
    8,353
    54
    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2018 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    Premium
    got to give it to the hydrogen industry, they really try & try to push their product. that way we can continue using fossil fuels, for the most part, to reform hydrogen
     
    #2 hill, Jan 23, 2021
  3. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2012
    3,311
    1,017
    0
    Location:
    Arcadia, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    I currently have a gas generator as backup if there's a scheduled brown/black out. I'm guessing efficiency is better than burning gasoline? If that's the case then good alternative if you think in those terms.

    moto g(7) power ?
     
    #3 jzchen, Jan 23, 2021
  4. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2009
    13,602
    4,136
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    The big problem here is it is much more expensive than a gasoline generator and about the same cost as a battery that has a lot more power and can provide more energy.

    Drive costs down and this type of technology makes sense for businesses that need power back up (hospitals, data centers, etc.). Still a bloom box with storage can provide these businesses with regular power from natural gas, biogas, along with green hydrogen. They are definitely too expensive for the home market though, and need to come down in price to be truly competitive.
    Bloom Energy Soars After Launch Into Green Hydrogen Market | Greentech Media
     
    #4 austingreen, Feb 1, 2021
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)