Hydrogen has many properties that make it an attractive energy storage medium for a sustainable future. But hydrogen is also difficult to store safely and cheaply. By storing hydrogen in an oil-based slurry with powdered magnesium hydride, cheap and safe hydrogen storage can be realized. This paper describes the characteristics and benefits of cycling hydrogen in and out of magnesium hydride slurry.
Based on our experience with magnesium hydride slurry, we have performed a study to evaluate the cost effectiveness of applying bulk hydrogen storage, using magnesium hydride slurry, in a baseload wind power system that we will also discuss. This study concludes that a 150 MW baseload wind power system would produce an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 10% with an electric price of $0.088/kWh. The costs and performance characteristics of this power plant are described.
