Salt caves are some of the most stable geological formations, making them ideal for hydrogen storage. Photo: JackF
Britain should create a vast network of hydrogen-filled caves to protect against the risk of zero shift blackouts, according to the country's top scientific body.
The Royal Society said 900 caves would be needed to ensure safety filled with hydrogen. The UK will be able to keep the country's lights on during periods of low wind and sunshine.
The proposed facilities would be capable of storing billions of cubic meters of hydrogen, which could be used to power electricity generators during bouts of temperate weather. weather when wind farm output will plummet.
This report is perhaps the starkest warning yet of the risks that can be faced by relying on intermittent, weather-dependent power sources without sufficient backup.
It warns: “The UK's need for long-term energy storage is seriously underestimated.
“Large-scale energy storage is needed to mitigate wind and solar fluctuations, especially long-term wind fluctuations, and to keep the country's lights on. Storing hydrogen in salt caves would be the cheapest way to do this.»
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The report says up to 100 terawatt-hours (TWh) will be needed by 2050, roughly equivalent to energy contained in 1.2 billion Tesla car batteries.
The forecast is based on 37-year weather. data and assumption that oil and gas energy sources will gradually decline in the coming decades. 100 TWh of backup power would be enough to power the country for weeks on end if needed, but it would require a huge amount of infrastructure.
Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, lead author of the report, said: “Demand for electricity is expected to double by 2050, driven by the electrification of heating, transport and industrial processing, as well as increased use of air conditioning, economic growth and changes in population.
“Demand will mainly be met by wind and solar energy. These are the cheapest forms of low-carbon electricity generation, but they are intermittent and must be supplemented by large-scale supplies from energy storage or other sources.»
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Sir Chris said that while nuclear, hydro and other sources were likely to play a role, they were also more expensive than hydrogen storage.
The Royal Society has proposed the UK build 90 hydrogen storage «clusters» , including 10 caves each. According to the British Geological Survey, the best locations are Cheshire, Wessex and East Yorkshire.
Such a proposal may struggle to gain local acceptance. Hydrogen is the smallest of the molecules and is known to leak out of all types of containment. It is also very explosive.
However, salt caves are among the most stable geological formations. They were formed 200–300 million years ago when the salt marshes dried up and were buried underground.
The existence of solid salt means that water has not flowed through the rock for millions of years. The Cheshire caves, created by salt mining, are already used by the National Archives and Museums to store historical records and works of art.
There are currently three hydrogen storage caves in the UK, which have been in use since 1972. The technology is well known, but the cost of such a massive expansion is less clear.
Sir Peter Bruce, vice-president of the Royal Society, said: “An electricity system with significant amounts of wind and solar generation is likely to offer electricity at the lowest cost. , but it is important to have large energy storage facilities that can be accessed quickly to ensure the UK's energy security and sovereignty.»
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