Energie 360° wants to store summer electricity underground with methane
In a study, Energie 360° shows a way to overcome the winter electricity gap through geo-methanisation. Surplus electricity in summer is stored by methane. This is produced by microbes from hydrogen and CO2.
In a new study, the energy service provider Energie 360° has highlighted geo-methanisation as a way to store surplus electricity in summer for use when there is a shortage of electricity in winter. According to a media release, the study, conducted together with the energy storage company RAG Austria AG in Vienna, focuses on the economic use of this method.
In geo-methanisation, surplus renewable energy, such as solar power, is converted into hydrogen (H2) in summer. This is injected into a natural underground reservoir together with CO2, which comes from biogas plants, for example. At a depth of more than 1000 metres, microorganisms combine hydrogen and carbon to form methane gas (CH4). In winter, when the demand for electricity and heat is high, the renewable gas can be stored and used in a variety of ways, according to the technical explanation in the press release.
The University of Bern, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Empa) and the OST – Ostschweizer Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland) collaborated on the Underground Sun Conversion – Flexible Storage (USC-FlexStore) research project by Energie 360° and RAG Austria. The joint study shows that implementation is possible and economically interesting if existing gas storage facilities are used. These exist in Switzerland’s neighbouring countries, such as Pilsbach in Austria.
“The potential is enormous: annually, renewable energy of several terawatt hours can be stored seasonally with this method. This will substantially alleviate the winter electricity shortfall in Switzerland,” Jörg Wild, CEO of Energie 360°, is quoted as saying. The prerequisite is that Switzerland concludes binding regulations with its neighbouring countries for the purchase of renewable gases.