CEH consortium set to build hydrogen-storing microgrid

The CEH consortium had previously built six homes on university land that incorporate a range of low-carbon technologies, including micro generation from solar and wind as well ground-source heat pumps.

To date, the houses have operated individually using only the renewable energy generated at that property. However, a practical, multi-home storage solution for surplus energy is needed to cover peak periods, especially after sundown and during periods of little or no wind.

To address to this challenge, the new phase of the CEH project is building a microgrid that will provide an energy management system across several houses.

From the outset, the CEH project has involved a number of industrial partners including E.On, Tarmac and BASF — and the latest collaborator, McPhy Energy of France, will provide energy-storage solutions.

‘We use magnesium hydride, which is prepared in such a way that we can store large quantities of hydrogen with very good kinetics and loading capacity,’ Pascal Mauberger, the company’s chief executive officer, told The Engineer.