GKN Hydrogen Awarded Contract for 500kg of Hydrogen Storage

GKN Hydrogen has been awarded a contract to install two of its metal hydride storage units for a total hydrogen capacity of 500kg at the Technical University of Braunschweig’s (TUB) hydrogen terminal. These units store hydrogen as a metal hydride in solid state with low-pressure and low temperature. GKN will integrate the storage units into TUB’s hydrogen terminal in December of this year and operations will commence in 2024.

The components of TUB’s research project includes hydrogen production, storage, and distribution, refueling stations, and hydrogen supply for fuel cell test benches at various energy storage research centers—TUB, Lower Saxony Research Center, and the Fraunhofer Project Center.

“At the research airport, we conduct basic research along the H₂ conversion and transformation chain,” said Prof. Michael Heere, Head of the Fuel Cell Systems and Drives Group. “GKN Hydrogen’s solution allows us to safely store a large amount of green hydrogen in a confined space and optimally use it for our research purposes. Storing hydrogen in metal hydride is a safe and durable alternative to current gas storage technology. We anticipate a lifespan of up to 30 years.”

The goal of the research is to use renewable energy to stabilize the power grid. GKN will produce hydrogen in Enapter’s AEM multicore electrolyzer and transport it to the metal hydride storage via pipeline.

“With this research project, we have the opportunity to create an energy center of the future and make the energy transition tangible,” said David Sauss, Head of the Steinbeis Innovation Center (SIZ). “Additionally, we decarbonize a part of the research and create a nucleus for future projects and scientific work on hydrogen.”