Underground Hydrogen Storage Site Selection in Wyoming

Abstract

Abstract Underground hydrogen storage, compared to surface storage, offers a higher capacity, provides long-term storage, and requires fewer surface installations. Underground hydrogen storage site selection is affected by various factors, including availability of energy sources to produce hydrogen from fossil fuels and renewables, energy consumption in a specific area, accessibility to the existing infrastructure, and availability of underground storage media. These factors vary in different locations. Wyoming, as the second largest energy supplier in the U.S., has a significant share of the influencing factors. This study ranks Wyoming counties based on fossil fuels supply, renewables, energy consumption, and underground storage facilities as well as different type of media for storage such as depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, abandoned coal mines, and potential trona caverns. Depending on the preferred factors, different counties can be prioritized for underground hydrogen storage site selection. This study is beneficial for storage site selection in Wyoming; however, individual sites should be further investigated for optimal site selection.