Hydrogen Storage Challenge in the Hydrogen-Based Civilization

Abstract

Industrial revolution and sustainable development have intensified the need for clean resources of energy. Among all the possible alternative sources of green energy, hydrogen energy is the most promising one because of its abundancy, maximum energy density per unit mass, and clean combustion. The energy content per unit mass of hydrogen is estimated to be the highest among all known chemical fuels. Therefore, it has enough potential to meet the rising energy demand if some major barriers in its production, storage, and effective commercial or vehicular use are resolved efficiently. One of the most significant challenges in the development of a global hydrogen-based economy is the hydrogen storage problem, which essentially means minimizing the enormous volume of hydrogen gas to achieve optimum gravimetric and volumetric density synergistically. This chapter briefly discusses the significant challenges, especially the hydrogen storage problem in the path of the development of a hydrogen-based economy and the possible approaches to meet the challenges.