The System Case Against Hydrogen for Grid Storage - CleanTechnica

The article "The System Case Against Hydrogen for Grid Storage" from CleanTechnica challenges the common assumption that hydrogen is essential for long-duration energy storage in power grids. It argues that this premise arises from an overly narrow definition of the storage problem, which often focuses solely on rare, multi-week low renewable output periods (dunkelflaute) rather than the full spectrum of grid storage needs. Grid storage must address multiple timescales: seconds to minutes for frequency and voltage stability, intra-day shifting of solar energy to evening peaks, multi-day weather variability, and strategic reserves for extended low renewable periods. Hydrogen is unsuitable for short-term and intra-day storage due to slow response times and inefficiencies, whereas lithium-ion batteries and power electronics dominate these markets with fast response and increasing cost-effectiveness. For longer durations, the article highlights proven technologies like pumped hydro storage, which provides 8 to 24 hours of storage with high round-trip efficiency, long asset life, and low operating costs. China’s