Innovative Hydrogen Storage: GKN Hydrogen and SoCalGas Team Up with NREL

GKN Hydrogen, SoCalGas, and NREL are revolutionizing hydrogen storage with a solid-state solution. This innovative project integrates renewable energy, microgrids, and fuel cells for a net-zero future.

GKN Hydrogen and Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), have announced the commissioning of a groundbreaking research project to demonstrate a novel clean renewable hydrogen storage solution. This innovative technology will be housed at NREL’s Flatirons Campus in Arvada, Colorado.

Revolutionizing Hydrogen Storage with Metal Hydrides

The project leverages GKN Hydrogen’s solid-state hydrogen storage technology, which uses metal hydrides to store hydrogen, offering a safer and more efficient alternative to traditional gaseous hydrogen tanks. The hydrogen molecules are bound within the metal hydrides at low pressure, eliminating the need for compression and enabling the storage of up to 500 kilograms of hydrogen.

This solid-state approach promises enhanced safety, resilience, and integration with renewable energy systems such as microgrids and fuel cells.

Powering Clean Energy with Renewables

Using renewable sources like solar and wind, the system will convert water into clean hydrogen via an electrolyzer. The stored hydrogen can be used in an on-site fuel cell to generate zero-emissions electricity, making it a critical component for advancing a net-zero emissions economy.

NREL’s ARIES Platform: The Key to Validation

The project will utilize NREL’s Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) platform to validate a wide range of applications for decarbonization, including:

• Solar and wind integration with hydrogen systems

• Electrolyzers and battery storage coordination

• Commercial and industrial clean energy distribution

  
  

A Vision for Scaled Impact

By running the project until December 2026, researchers aim to refine the technology’s integration with diverse energy systems. At scale, the solid-state hydrogen storage solution could transform the clean energy landscape by enabling resilient on-site power generation and bridging gaps in renewable energy intermittency.