Energy & CivilizationStudent Project Showcase: Fall 2023

Fall 2023

Fall 2023

Group Members

Ronit Nagarapu, Benno Rothe, Isabella Larsen, Sophia Xue

Problem Identification Video

Project Report

Executive Summary

The state of California has set a goal to achieve 100% clean energy supplied to consumers by 2045 as specified in Senate Bill 100: “The 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018” (California Energy Commission). California’s current plan specifies wind and solar energy to make up a majority of the renewable energy grid in 2045. However, storage, intermittency, and curtailment issues surrounding these technologies are likely to prevent California from meeting its 2045 goal (NPR). We project that nearly 15.9 TWh of energy will be curtailed by 2045 due to lack of energy storage and transportation infrastructure. Our analysis of this issue resulted in the formation of potential hydrogen energy solutions that could help close the gap between California’s current progress and a plan it could follow to reach closer to the goals of Senate Bill 100.

Hydrogen storage has the most potential in long-term seasonal storage of energy, due to its high energy density and scalability for TWh capacity storage systems. The lithium ion batteries that compose most of the energy storage in California’s current plan should be replaced with hydrogen storage and transportation systems like liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), graphene storage, and depleted natural gas reservoirs.

LOHCs have the potential to store large amounts of hydrogen economically and their chemical properties make them viable for use with existing oil pipelines and storage systems. The materials used for LOHC systems are also common in industry byproducts, making private investment in this technology more probable. Graphene technology can further improve smaller scale energy storage for direct consumer implementation due to its stability and speed of hydrogen uptake. Depleted natural gas reservoirs have the greatest potential for large-scale storage in California, due to their locality, storage capacity, and existing transportation infrastructure. These storage technologies are capable of providing enough storage capacity for the projected curtailment of energy in 2045. We will propose plans that integrate these hydrogen technologies and storage solutions into existing and planned sustainable energy developments, illuminating a path that will bring California closer to its sustainability goals.

Final Paper: Hydrogen Storage: Solution to California’s Renewable Energy Grid?